Come Lie With Me
by Caitlinlaurie
Summary: "Lexie—" Mark cut in, "No one can know. In fact, it would be best if we pretended that last night never happened at all." The story of what happened after the night Mark and Lexie got together. Slexie!
1. Chapter 1

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Title: Come Lie With Me

Pairings/ Characters: Slexie, with appearances by the entire Seattle Grace team.

Warnings: Sexual imagery, and some language

Summary: What happened after Lexie and Mark's night together?

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Those Slexie fans at ABC do.

A/N: Okay, so much explanation is needed. This story is based on the future that is depicted in my one-shot _Unfinished_. I wanted to write about Slexie from another perspective, and before I knew it I had written and imagined all of this back story for my one-shot, and I felt that it deserved its own story. So, if you want to know how Slexie ends up, you can read that one-shot, but this is the story of how they got there. It is definitely not necessary to read the one-shot first, unless you want to be spoiled. This will be a multi-chapter fic, and I will try to update it whenever possible. (Oh, and the title is supposed to have more than one meaning, get it?)

***

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Mark considered the darkness to be a seductive thing. In the beginning, the darkness had been something to fear. It was a big and vast thing that his eight-year-old self could not control and not avoid. It came everyday and stayed for hours at a time. It had been his constant fear and constant companion. But as he had gotten older, those fears had retreated into the back recesses of his mind. He had begun to associate the darkness with sex, and it took on its present seductive quality. But still, there was that part of him that hated closing his eyes alone, which liked the presence of another person sleeping next to him.

This was why he was both grateful and terrified to wake up the morning after he had taken Lexie to bed. He had enjoyed every minute of their time together, and would treasure them always in that smallest corner of his heart which he reserved for impossible dreams, but now he had to confront reality. When he opened his eyes, it was still dark outside and there she was, lying next to him, curled up in a little ball with her feet pressed against his warm thighs and her back against his chest. Mark allowed himself to savor the sensation for a moment, but only for a moment.

He then eased himself away from her and walked to the bathroom. Under the hot spray of the shower, he began to feel that guilt creeping in. What had he been thinking? He shouldn't have done this; he should have been stronger. Derek had been so clear; Lexie was off limits. He had known this, but when she had been standing there with that vulnerable look in her eyes and her pleading words, his control had snapped. He hadn't wanted to be strong anymore. He was tired of denying himself one of the only things he had ever truly wanted. But now…

Now the guilt.

When he stepped out of the shower, Mark dressed quickly and grabbed a pen and paper from the desk. On the hotel stationary he wrote:

_Sorry, Little Grey. I had an early surgery. Stay as long as you like and order breakfast. Until Later, Sloan._

Mark knew it wasn't fair, but he had to keep things as professional as possible from here on out. Lexie would understand; she _had_ to.

***

When Lexie woke, she felt sore in all the right places. She stretched out her muscles and then turned to see a note in the place where Mark should have been. Reaching out, she picked it up and held it above her head. As she read its contents, a frown appeared on her face. If anyone else had come upon this note they would have thought it was as much a note between professional colleagues as lovers. Lexie didn't know what to think. She was back to Little Grey again? Did he think of her as nothing more than a tag-along little sister? And what did him signing the note with his last name mean? Lexie had never called him Mark except at the height of ecstasy, but still. What did this all mean?

These questions were running through her mind as she dressed quickly. As soon as she got to the hospital, Lexie was going to confront him. She promised herself this.

But that was not to be. When she got to the hospital, it was in an uproar because of a death row patient who was being treated. Christina immediately set her the task of running labs and Lexie was blown off course from her original intent of finding Mark. She did catch a glimpse of him at one point, but he was headed in the opposite direction. Her paranoid mind wondered it he had turned when he saw her coming, but she quickly dismissed that thought. Lexie knew it would be a tedious day until she could find Mark, so she instead spent her day going over the events of the previous night in her mind.

It had felt like a stranger had taken over her body the night before. Some force, and she knew not which one, had taken her from the locker room at Seattle Grace to Mark's hotel room without stopping. And when he had opened the door, all the feelings that she had ever felt in her entire life seemed to push her in the door and give her the courage to put it all on the line. But there had been that awful moment when all the insecurities that she had ever had came to the surface as he seemed to be resisting her.

She had hated herself for asking, "Come on, am I really so bad?" But that small vulnerability seemed to be what had propelled him into action.

Before she had realized it, he was there and she was in his arms. His lips had moved surely back and forth across hers and Lexie had not been able to think. Her pathetic attempt at seduction could never have anticipated _this_. He was hard and yet his lips were soft, coaxing a response from her own. The seducer became the seduced, and Lexie began to wonder how she had lived for so long without ever knowing perfection such as this.

Soon they had moved to the bed, their lips never parting. Mark had helped her removed her remaining clothing and only broke their kiss to remove his own shirt. When he had pulled it over his head, he had looked down at her and for the first time, Lexie had felt truly beautiful. The way he was looking at her made her feel alive, in a way that nothing had before. It was there in his eyes, and Lexie had been able to see it.

He wanted her. _Her_. Lexie Grey, rejected sister and enabling daughter and forgotten friend. She was desired.

"Lexie," He had whispered as he ran his fingers across her bare skin. She had blinked back the tears which sprang unbidden to her eyes and looked up at the man who was about to become part of her.

There were no words to describe this.

And when he had finally settled his naked body onto her own, Lexie had parted her legs, wrapped them around his waist, and felt as though the missing puzzle pieces which had seemed ephemeral her entire life were finally coming together.

Breath had hissed out of his lips as he had slid into her, and it had caught in her throat when he had begun to move. Lexie wanted to say something, anything, but his movements were robbing her of the ability to think and speak.

She hadn't known. No one could have. She had heard it whispered, but never could she have imagined that it could be like this. Like the kind of pleasure and passion that only existed in stories and books with naked and writhing bodies on the cover. She had experienced good sex, but that meant nothing now. Not when she was confronted with the idea that she had never even known what sex really was until Mark slid into her body.

She vaguely wondered if anyone else in the world could have known what this felt like. Lexie thought not.

And Mark seemed to feel it too. When they had both come in a rush of pleasure and screaming, he collapsed on top of her. His chest was expanding hard and fast as it struggled to get air back into it. He had laid there, crushing her, and she had loved every moment of it.

Finally, she had whispered, "I never knew…"

And he had replied, "Neither did I."

Lexie wondered briefly if they meant the same thing, but then she dismissed the thought and kissed his shoulder.

They had slept then, but woken many times through the night when one of them had turned to the other. It had been like living forever in the space of one single evening.

This was why Lexie had to find Mark now. She wanted to see him, no _needed_ to see him. She could no longer contain the intensity of her feelings.

When she found him, he was coming out of surgery, the scrub cap still on his head. He was washing his hands, and had just turned off the water when she slid up next to him.

"Hi, there," She said, and small smile on her face. "How did your surgery go? I bet it went well. You do everything well." Lexie had blushed then, her entire face turning scarlet, "I mean with surgery, with the cutting. You do that well, not that you don't do other things well too…" Lexie trailed off, wishing she had planned exactly what she was going to say first. Instead, she felt like an idiot has he looked at her. Lexie bit her lip, and then decided to risk it, "About last night…"

"Lexie—" Mark cut in, "No one can know. In fact, it would be best if we pretended that last night never happened at all. It was a mistake, pure and simple."

Lexie felt as though she had been kicked in the gut, and she was so upset that she didn't notice the tortured look in Mark's eyes. "What do you mean? You want to pretend that last night never…"

"Never happened," Mark said. "Lexie, no one can know about this. I am your teacher, and that is all. We got carried away because we were excited that the surgery went well, but that has to be all. It didn't mean anything else. We have to forget it."

Lexie vaguely wondered if this was how all the other women who had slept with Mark Sloan felt. She grabbed the sink, the images of last night bubbling unbidden to the surface of her mind and assaulting her with their loveliness. "Do you know what it feels like to have an eidetic memory?" Lexie asked, her voice trembling.

Mark shook his head.

"It means that 'forgetting it' isn't really an option for me." Lexie looked at him and met his eyes. "I remember every time I have sex, until that image is improved upon. With images and knowledge, I retain everything. A photographic memory had its uses in school. But with experiences, it's different. I remember the best ones, the ones that mean the most. And I remember them in excruciating detail." A single tear ran down Lexie's face. "I won't remember anyone else after last night, Mark," she said, her mouth adding significance to his name. "You've changed it all. Whether you wanted to or not, things are different now. Every moment, every detail of last night is permanently etched on my memory along with all the emotions those moments evoked."

Mark looked stricken, though Lexie saw it only as guilt. She turned then, and left the room, the door closing behind her with a gentle swish.

Her mind was filled with sadness and anger, and Lexie knew that she had to get as much distance between her and Mark Sloan as she could. And before she knew it, she was running.

***

Self-loathing was hardly an adequate description for what Mark felt about himself in that moment. As he opened the door, Mark saw Lexie running through the hall, and could only guess about the tears that probably adorned her face.

This wasn't fair. Lexie didn't deserve this, and Mark hated that he had to hurt her like that. If there was one person in the world who didn't deserve to be hurt by him it was Lexie. What he had wanted more than anything else was to take her in his arms and tell her that the previous night had meant just as much to him, if not more. And that the idea of forgetting was as ludicrous as it was impossible. Not because it was etched on him mind like hers, but rather because the previous night had provided him the most amazing happiness of his life. There was no way he was going to forget that.

He walked over to the nurses' station and reached for a chart, anything to distract him from the chaos in his mind.

Mark reached up and rubbed the sore muscles in the back of his neck.

"Rough surgery?"

Mark turned and saw Derek, and then turned back to the chart. "No," he said curtly, hoping Derek wouldn't stop to chat.

"Then why are you so grumpy?"

"I am not," Mark mumbled, not looking at his best friend. This morning he had felt guilty, but now after seeing Lexie's face collapse, he was just mad at Derek. Damn him for putting Mark in this impossible situation.

"Okay, whatever," Derek said. "So Meredith this morning—"

"Not now, Derek," Mark growled.

"What?"

"I can't take the further adventures of Meredith and Derek right now."

"Jeez, something _is_ wrong. What's up, you can tell me."

Mark glared hard at the chart before him, resisting the urge to smack Derek upside the head. Finally, he looked up and said, "Why did you tell me to stay away from Lexie Grey?"

Derek looked surprised, but said, "I told you, Meredith had some concerns."

"Concerns about me," Mark said. "You said it was because Lexie was fragile, but I don't think that was it. It was because of me, wasn't it?"

"It is not that simple," Derek hedged. "I think Meredith feels protective of Lexie cause she is not like us."

"What do you mean?" Mark asked, frowning.

"Well, she is good, isn't she?" Derek said. "In a way that we aren't. She believes in the good in people and she wants what is best for them. The idea of hurting someone's feelings doesn't occur to her, so much so that sometimes she fails to stand up for herself even when she should."

Mark shook his head. "All that is true, but I think you underestimate her. And you are lying, too. It is not that Lexie is so good, but rather that I am so bad. I would ruin her. That is what you really mean," Mark slammed his chart down on the counter, making everyone in the waiting area and the nurses' station look at him, but he didn't notice.

"Mark, I didn't mean it like that…" Derek began.

"No, forget it," Mark said, his words hard and angry. "It's nice to know what you really think of me, Shepherd."

Mark stormed off, hating Derek and himself equally. He knew he shouldn't be surprised, he had never really given Derek any reason to think more of him, but still… it hurt. It hurt to know that his best friend in the entire world thought so little of him. And what's more, the only person who thought any good of him, he had pushed away.

"Dr. Sloan!"

Mark kept on walking, not wanting to talk to anyone.

"Dr. Sloan!" The voice called again.

Mark stopped with a sigh, and snapped, "What!?"

Sadie stood there with an unreadable expression on her face. "Lexie Grey is in the east stairwell crying." She paused. "Just thought you would like to know."

Mark watched the intern walk away, and wondered if the crazy girl with no appendix didn't have some redeeming qualities after all. _She would be good for Callie_, he thought as he walked swiftly to the east stairwell.

When he entered, he followed the sound of crying to the ninth floor where Lexie was sitting with her head against the wall, her face red, and tears rushing down her cheeks.

"What…are you…doing here?" She gasped out, still crying.

Mark said nothing, but went and sat down next to her. Though she resisted at first, he pulled her into his arms and began rubbing her back. "I'm sorry," Mark whispered.

Lexie just cried harder.

"I wish things were different," Mark said into her hair. "I wish _we_ were different." He wished so many things. He wished that he had realized that there was something more with Lexie before Derek warned him away; he wished he had met Lexie long ago when it might have made some difference; but mostly he wished that he had known she was out there. Maybe if when he had been younger he had known that she existed, it wouldn't have been so hard to be better. He could have been a better person if he had known that she was waiting for him.

"But they aren't," Lexie whispered into his shirt, her tears subsiding. "And _we_ aren't."

"No, we aren't," Mark whispered. She had stopped crying, but he didn't want to give up the pleasure of holding her.

They sat there in the stairwell for a long time. They sat there and tried to forget that just a few floors below them where concerned friends and oddly protective siblings who would never have understood them together.

But neither of them could think of that at the moment. They both closed their eyes and clutched the other tighter.

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Review Please!


	2. Chapter 2

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It is incredibly hard to stay away from the one person who makes you happy. It feels as if your soul is drawn to them and they appear whenever you most need them. But to voluntarily cut yourself off from this… that could be impossible.

Mark lasted three days.

Three fucking miserable days, in which it felt as though the world had gone to hell around him. He was making everyone miserable, and just to work with him was daunting. The nurses were threatening all out rebellion, and Mark was tempted to let them. He had no use for their theatrics at the moment. He just wanted to be left alone, and that was exactly what he was getting.

Derek started staying away when Mark began growling whenever he got near, and all the residents were mysteriously absent wherever he went. They must have thought it was time to teach their interns a lesson though, so Mark had at least four interns assigned to him. And he was making each new one more miserable than the last.

He was enjoying every moment of torturing them, but in the end it meant nothing. Though he tried to distract himself, he kept seeing Lexie everywhere. He saw her in the waiting room, writing in a chart, he saw her in the on call room sleeping with one arm curled up under her head, and he saw her in the gallery. Despite what had happened, she kept coming to his surgeries. She was there every time, sitting there calmly and watching him. Mark tried not to look up, but he couldn't seem to help it. When he did, her eyes were there to meet his, steady and sure. They seemed to say, _I'll wait_.

His mood was even blacker on the third day, when he was sitting in his office, his fingers steepled over his nose as if in thought. That was how Callie found him.

She held her hands up as she came into the office. "Don't shoot, I come in peace." She offered him a smile, but he could not return it.

"So what's going on with you?"

Mark sighed. "You ever have a week that just goes from bad to worse?"

"Yeah, but for me it was more like a year that went from bad to worse." Callie grinned, "But that is not what this is about, is it?"

"No," Mark said. "I guess not."

"So what is it then? Is it sex? Cause there is this new nurse in Derm who probably hasn't heard of you yet."

"Thanks Callie, but I don't need you to be my pimp," Mark said dryly.

Callie laughed, and then sat in the chair across from Mark's desk. She then turned serious and said, "Whatever it is Mark, you have to decide why it's making you miserable. And then fix it."

Mark waved her off and she quietly left his office. He wondered if she wasn't right. Maybe it was as simple as figuring out why he was upset and then fixing it. Problem: he was upset because he had to stay away from Lexie. Solution: stop staying away from Lexie.

Mark rolled his eyes. Too bad life was never that simple.

***

Lexie Grey was miserable. It had been three days since she had spoken Mark. It felt sometimes, when she caught him looking at her, as if he was going to come and speak to her, but he never did. She had made a point of going to all his surgeries. Just because she had ruined the best work relationship, didn't mean that she couldn't still learn from Mark. Lexie told herself this, but she didn't really believe it. She just wanted to see him. To comfort herself in any small way that she could.

"Hey," Sadie said as she plopped down next to Lexie in the locker room.

"Hi," Lexie said, looking down at her bag trying to figure out if she had all her things.

"So how's the lovely Dr. Sloan?" Sadie asked.

"What?" Lexie squeaked. "What do you mean? Why are you asking me? I don't know anything about Dr. Sloan."

"Whoa," Sadie said, holding up her hands. "Easy there. I was just wondering how the two of you are?"

Lexie realized Sadie didn't know anything. "Look Sadie, I don't know where you got the idea that we had a thing, but really it is all in your head."

Sadie rolled her eyes. "Whatever, don't tell me. But don't kid yourself, you and I both know that there definitely is a thing between you and Dr. Sloan. Man, he must be great in bed."

Lexie's face turned bright red.

"Ha!" Sadie said with a laugh. "I knew it. You two were just so obvious about it."

Lexie looked around at the empty locker room and then back at Sadie, "You can't say anything. Promise me."

Sadie rolled her eyes. "Who would I tell?"

"Meredith?"

Sadie nodded. "Normally, this is something I would tell Death, but in this case…I can't help but notice the irony of the situation."

"What do you mean?" Lexie asked.

"Well, your sister thinks you're all rainbows and fluffy puppies, and here you are having a fling with the most unattainable guy in the hospital. No, I think I will keep this one to myself."

Lexie smiled. "Thank you, but it is not a fling."

Sadie sighed. "I thought we were past the denial phase."

"No, we are," Lexie said. "It's just that it was only one night. We haven't even talked since."

"What?" Sadie said in surprise. "That is so wrong! Then what is with all the eyesex?"

"The what?" Lexie said with a laugh. She enjoyed having someone know the truth, even if it was Sadie.

"The eyesex! Every time he has a surgery, there you are in the gallery making the sex eyes at him, and he looks like he wishes you were down in the OR so he could take you on the gurney."

Lexie smiled. "Sorry to disappoint. Nothing has happened for a couple of days. He sort of gave me the whole 'it was a mistake' speech."

"Hmm, that's interesting," Sadie said. "He must really feel guilty about what happened. He is probably pushing you away because of that."

Lexie nodded, she knew this much.

"So you know what the solution is?" Sadie asked.

"No, what?"

"You go to his hotel room and seduce him."

Lexie laughed. "That's what I did the last time."

"No!" Sadie gasped. "My God, your sister has vastly underestimated you. Damn, even I wouldn't have had the courage to try to seduce a sex god like him." Sadie tapped her finger against her chin. "Hmm, this will take some thought."

Lexie smiled to herself. She appreciated Sadie's help, but Lexie knew that it was Mark who would have to come to her this time. She couldn't always be the one doing the chasing.

"Joe's later, then?" Sadie asked.

Lexie hesitated, and then nodded.

***

Mark's mood hadn't improved by the time his shift ended, but he had promised Derek he would meet him at Joes. When he got to the dark bar, he felt relieved when he saw Derek alone at a table. He couldn't have dealt with Meredith Grey being his plus one at the moment.

"Mark," Derek said as he sat down.

"Hey," Mark replied, willing himself to be civil to his best friend.

"So, I figured it out," Derek said.

"Good for you," Mark replied. "What, exactly?"

"Why you are in such a bad mood," Derek replied.

Mark snorted. "I doubt it." He then took a sip of the drink that Derek had ordered for him.

"It's sex."

Mark choked on his drink. "What?"

"It's about sex. That is why you are so grumpy. The nurses are united against you, and they won't ease your suffering, so to speak."

"Derek, it's not about sex."

"I have a solution," Derek said, ignoring Mark. "There is this new nurse in Derm…"

"I am in hell," Mark muttered. "What, did you and Callie conspire to get me laid?"

The guilty look on Derek's face said it all.

"You two are unbelievable," Mark hissed.

"We were just trying to help," Callie said, coming up and sitting at their table. "Stop being such a drama queen."

Mark looked back and forth between the two of them and rolled his eyes.

***

When Lexie entered the bar, she looked around and quickly joined Sadie at her table. She had been delayed by a last minute charting mishap, and she was eager to have a drink and relax.

"There you are," Sadie said.

"Yep," Lexie replied. "Let me just go get a drink at the bar."

"Umm, that might not be such a good idea," Sadie said.

"Why not?"

"Cause a certain doctor you have the hots for is sitting right there."

Lexie turned and saw that Mark was indeed sitting at a table by the bar with Callie and Derek. She sighed.

"I'll get it," Sadie said, "And when I come back I will tell you my brilliant beyond brilliant idea."

Lexie laughed, and watched her head towards Mark. She made an order at the bar and then made a couple of glances towards Callie. Lexie was surprised, and rather relieved that her new friend had no designs on Mark.

When Sadie returned she said, "Was she watching?"

"Was who watching what?"

"Dr. Torres. Was she watching me walk away?"

Lexie checked, and then said, "Definitely."

Sadie smiled, "I knew it." She then waved her hand. "Okay, so…about my plan."

"Oh yes," Lexie replied. "Tell me your diabolical plan."

"Less diabolical, more ingenious."

"Well," Lexie said with a laugh, "What is it?"

"Okay, so you go out of your way to assign yourself to his service. You need to get Yang to send you off to Plastics in an indefinite kind of way."

"Well, first of all," Lexie said. "I don't think stalking is the answer to my problems. And second of all, even if I did feel a little Fatal Attraction coming on, there is no way that Yang would do me any favors. She hates me, remember?" Lexie pointed at herself. "Crazy Cabal Organizer. There is no way she would want to do anything for me that she thought I wanted."

Sadie tapped her finger on her chin again, which Lexie had realized she did when ever she was trying to analyze a problem in the most devious way possible. Sadie's face then lit up. "What if she thought that Plastics was the last thing that you wanted?"

"What do you mean?" Lexie asked, enjoying the craziness of the conversation. Anything to take her mind off a certain blue eyed doctor who consumed her thoughts.

"Well, I could somehow mention in front of her that you hated Plastics and that you were glad it was off your rotation. Wouldn't it be just like Yang to assign you there out of spite?"

Lexie laughed loudly. "I think your grasping at straws. Christina doesn't care enough to be that diabolical. She is not like you."

Sadie opened her mouth to speak, but then her eyes strayed to just behind Lexie. "Don't look now, but Mark Sloan is totally staring at you."

As if she was led by some compulsion she didn't understand, Lexie turned her head and met his eyes. She couldn't bring herself to look away.

***

Mark had been starting to relax as the evening wore on. It wasn't his friend's fault that things had happened the way they had, and he couldn't take it out on them any longer. He had even started to enjoy himself. Derek was talking about Meredith, of course, and he and Callie were badly attempting to give advice.

"Slow and steady," Mark said. "Grey is a crazy mass of tangled neurosis. You can't scare her with too many sudden movements."

"She isn't a deer, Mark," Callie said. She turned to Derek, "Meredith made the grand gesture with the candles. It might be time to return the favor. Maybe you should think about proposing."

"It's too soon for that," Mark protested.

"What does that mean?" Callie asked. "When it's right, it's right. Sometimes you just know." She was starting to slur her words together a little bit.

"How do you know?" Mark asked with a laugh.

"From the voice inside," Callie said. "I wish I had been listening to that voice when I got married."

"What was the voice saying?" Derek asked, trying to keep his face serious.

"It was saying, 'Run Callie, run'!"

Mark and Derek laughed. Callie started to join them, but her attention was diverted as Sadie walked up to the bar and ordered a drink from Joe. Mark watched in amusement as she and Callie exchanged sultry glances. It amazed him that he felt nothing. Lexie really had ruined him. He smiled to himself.

"Is she looking at me?" Callie asked through her teeth.

"Who?" Mark said with a laugh.

"Don't be an ass," Callie said.

"She is looking," Derek said.

Callie looked up then as Mark rolled his eyes.

While Callie was distracted by watching Sadie's retreating form, Derek leaned over and said to Mark, "About the other day…"

"Forget it," Mark said as he took a sip of his drink.

"I have just been thinking about it a lot," Derek admitted. "And I didn't want you to think that I didn't hear what you were saying."

"Don't be such a girl, Shep. I promise you, my feelings weren't bruised," Mark lied.

Derek looked as though he didn't believe him. "Well, anyway, what I wanted to say is that I think it might be a good idea, if you were serious, about trying to be better. You could start dating the nurse from Derm."

"That's a good idea," Callie chimed in. "You should try having a real relationship."

"What is it with you two?" Mark asked. "I'm fine."

Derek shrugged. "Well, whatever. It's not like you are changing for good, but we just thought a temporary alteration to your sex life might be a good idea. You have sort of exhausted all your options."

Mark shrugged, trying not to show the hurt that he felt at those words. He took another sip of his drink.

"Another round?" Callie asked. Both men nodded, so she went to the bar.

Mark stared down at the remaining amber liquid in his glass and tried to reassure himself that Derek was right. It was better this way. If he stayed away from Lexie, he definitely wouldn't hurt her, whereas if he didn't there was an almost certain possibility that he would.

"Hey, look," Callie said as she sat down. "They were giving out mistletoe at the bar." She tossed a couple of sprigs on the table.

Mark grinned at her. "I bet you have plans for that."

Callie laughed. "A lady never tells."

"Did you know mistletoe is a parasite?" Derek asked. "They cut it off because it shouldn't be there. So really, people are kissing under a parasite."

Mark wrinkled his nose. "Why did you have to tell us that?"

Derek grinned. "I am full of plenty of fun facts about Christmas."

"Jesus," Mark said. "You are almost as bad as—" He stopped himself from saying her name.

"As bad as whom?" Derek asked.

Mark opened his mouth, but was then distracted by the sound of laughter from across the bar. Lexie's laughter. Mark turned and watched her talk with Sadie. She looked so happy. Mark's stomach clenched. He wished that he was the one that she was laughing with.

She then turned her head, and Mark was suddenly staring into her eyes.

***

Lexie felt as though she looked at him for hours, while in reality it was only mere moments. She forced herself to break his gaze, and she turned around and looked at Sadie. "I'm not feeling so well," Lexie lied.

Sadie looked at her sympathetically, "But what about our plan?"

"Maybe later," Lexie said. She then grabbed her coat and left the bar, unaware of the eyes that were watching her progress.

***

Mark watched her leave, and immediately felt less because of her absence. He wanted to follow her, but something kept him in his seat.

"You should take that mistletoe and go find the Derm nurse," Callie was saying.

"Maybe some other time," Mark mumbled, looking down at his drink. There had to be some other way. Some way he could be with Lexie without hurting her. Mark realized then that if he stayed away from Lexie he would never know. He would never know if he had it in him to be the man that Derek thought he couldn't. But Mark knew one thing: he sure as hell wanted to try.

"I have to go," he said to Derek and Callie. He put his leather jacket back on, and took one last gulp of his drink. He just hoped that Lexie was in a forgiving mood. He clenched the mistletoe in his fist and tried not to be too obvious.

As he left the bar, Sadie caught his eye.

She was giving him the thumbs up.

Mark grinned, and then rushed out the door after Lexie.

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Review, if you please!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: To make up for the lack of Slexie interaction in the last chapter, here you go...**

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The sound of his feet beating against the pavement echoed in Mark's ears as he ran after Lexie. He moved urgently, not fully understanding why he couldn't let this opportunity pass him by. Perhaps he knew that this was one of those choices that would define his life, or perhaps it was instinct, but either way, he just ran. He couldn't see her at first, but as he rounded the corner which led to the street, there she was crossing.

"Lexie!" He yelled, running across the street after her.

A car swerved to avoid hitting him and honked its horn.

"Are you crazy?" Lexie yelled at him, when he stepped onto the curb. "You could have been killed!"

"Would you have cared?" Mark asked, still slightly breathless from running.

"Of course I would have," Lexie said. Then, trying to qualify what she said, "In a general caring about my fellow humans kind of way."

Mark took a small comfort in the fact that she cared about his safety. "I need to talk to you."

"What, and you thought charging headfirst into traffic was the way to do it?" Lexie asked, still shaking.

Mark moved closer to her, touching her shoulder, his other hand hanging at his side, still holding the mistletoe. "You're trembling," he whispered.

Lexie jerked away. "I am fine, Dr. Sloan." Her words held no malice, but she was deliberately putting up the professional wall between them, irking Mark to no end.

"Mark," he said.

"What?"

"My name is Mark. I have seen you naked; I think it would be acceptable for you to call me by my first name."

Lexie shuddered at the mention of nudity, her mind teasing her with memories. "I don't think that is a good idea, Dr. Sloan," she said, adding emphasis to his name. "If we are going to remain professional then there have to be boundaries. We can't be calling each other by our first names, and you can't be chasing into traffic after me. There have to be limits. You said you wanted—"

"I know what I said," Mark cut it. "But I want to take it back."

"You can't do that," Lexie sputtered. "You said what you said. And when you said it—"

"Lexie," Mark said impatiently.

"What?"

"You're babbling," he said, as he pulled her close to him and lowered his head to hers. His lips moved gently across her own, as if they were asking permission to be there. If kisses had words, Lexie was certain that this kiss said: _Please, forgive me_.

When Mark pulled back, Lexie lifted her brown eyes to meet ice blue ones. "Why did you do that?"

Mark shrugged and held up the sprig of mistletoe in his hand. "'Tis the season?" He said with an impish grin.

Lexie chuckled, and then frowned. "Not fair," She said.

"What's not fair?" Mark asked as he kissed her again.

"I want to stay mad at you," she said against his lips.

"How's that working out for you?" Mark asked with a laugh.

Lexie grabbed the collar of his leather jacket and said, "It isn't," as she kissed him again.

Mark pulled her tight against his body, savoring the feel of her and trying to make up for the nights she hadn't been by his side. He marveled at the way she fit perfectly against him, and he promised himself he wouldn't be so stupid again.

"Just so you know," Mark said as he kissed the small spot under her ear, "I am done trying to stay away from you. So done."

"Me too," Lexie replied. "Does this mean that we can stop pretending that there isn't something going on here?"

Mark nodded. "Yeah, I would say so."

"Good."

"Come back to the hotel with me," Mark whispered to her.

"Okay," Lexie responded.

They separated, and Mark took her elbow and led her down the street. As they were walking, Lexie reached down and intertwined her fingers with his. Mark started in surprise, but then looked down at their joined hands and then back up to Lexie's eyes. She looked so beautiful when she looked at him like that. Mark squeezed her hand, and kept it inside his own. He had never been one for hand holding, but if it was Lexie's hand…well, that was different. Everything about this was different.

They didn't speak on the way, and they even remained quiet in the elevator on the way to his floor. But as they stayed silent, the anticipation between them grew. Lexie felt hot, and Mark could feel all his muscles tightening and becoming alert.

When they reached his floor, Mark led Lexie down the hall towards his room. When he opened the door with his keycard, Mark dropped Lexie's hand. Once he had the door open, Mark stepped inside.

He took off his coat, and said, "If you want, we could take this slow…"

"Mark?" Lexie said.

"Yeah?" He asked turning to face her, watching as she took off her coat.

She grinned at him, the corners of her mouth tilting up, "Shut up." She then walked forward and kissed him. She stood on her tiptoes to reach his height, and she pressed her body against his.

"You can't tell me to shut up," Mark said, when he came up for air. "I'm your—"

"My what?" Lexie asked with a laugh. She then pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "My attending? My teacher? My lover?" All the while she tormented him with kisses on the most sensitive parts of his jaw.

"Everything," Mark mumbled, and took control. His arms wrapped around Lexie like steel bands as he kissed her and opened her lips with his tongue. As his lips moved against hers, Mark slowly unbuttoned her shirt, savoring the fact that he was the one to do it this time. With each button he removed, his fingers caressed the newly revealed patch of skin.

But Lexie was no casual participant. She tugged his shirt from his pants, and practically pulled the buttons off in her quest to feel his skin. When both of their shirts had been removed, Mark moved Lexie over to the bed. When he lowered her to the mattress, he quickly followed her down, unwilling to let their bodies separate for even a moment.

Had you asked Lexie the day before if she had learned everything there was to know about sex, she would have answered in the affirmative. But that night, Mark showed her that she knew nothing at all. While the first time had been frenzied and passionate, this time was utterly different. It felt as though Mark was _worshiping_ her. He was conveying with his body, the things he simply couldn't say with words. Lexie knew that Mark Sloan was a complicated man, but she was only just beginning to realize just how complicated his nature truly was. Every touch seemed to have a meaning, a thought, or an apology behind it. Lexie wondered if this was the only way he knew how to truly communicate.

She refused to let him think though that she felt any less for him than she did. Lexie gave equally to him, trying to get him to understand how much she had missed this; how much she had missed him.

When they had both found completion, Mark rolled off of her and pulled her into his arms so that she was practically lying on top of him.

"Lexie," he whispered, moving a piece of hair out of her eyes.

"Hmm?"

"About tomorrow…"

"What about it?" She mumbled into his chest.

"We are just going to have to act professional, is all," Mark said, kissing her head.

"Whatever," Lexie said as she moved closer to him. "Everyone is going to know anyway."

"No," Mark said forcefully. "Lexie, no one can know about this. We have to keep it out of work completely. You can't tell anyone."

Lexie's face started to crumple.

Mark frowned in surprise. What had he said?

Tears were filling Lexie's eyes as she looked at him. "What do you want to keep me a secret or something?"

Mark nodded.

Lexie started crying in earnest.

Mark stared at her, a loss as to what he had said. "What did I say?"

"You want to hide me?" Lexie said, her eyes filled with betrayal.

"Oh, Lexie," Mark said. "It's not like that at all. It's just that I am your attending, and you are still an intern, and I made this promise to Derek… It would just be better if no one knew about this."

Lexie's eyes had begun to fill with anger while he was talking. "You know what would be even better?" She asked as she got off of the bed and began looking for her clothing. "If there wasn't anything for them to know about in the first place!"

She grabbed her pants and shirt. "So I will make things simple, _Dr. Sloan_, there is nothing for people to find out about, because there is nothing going on between us!"

"Now Lexie," Mark said, as he got out of bed and pulled on his pants, "You are overreacting."

Lexie's face turned bright red. "Why I even thought this could work, I am sure I will never know!" She turned to go to the door, but Mark stopped her before he could open it. His hand was blocking her from turning the handle.

"Move," she said.

"No," he replied.

"Move your hand! I am leaving!"

"No, you're not," Mark evenly replied.

Lexie turned around to face him.

Big mistake.

His eyes were right there, staring directly into her own. She hated it when he looked at her like that. It made her knees turn to mush and her stomach do flip-flops.

Who was she kidding? She loved it when he looked at her like that.

"I don't know what I said," Mark began, "But I am not dumb enough at this relationship thing to let you walk out the door. Whatever I said, I am sorry and I want to fix it." Mark was about to continue on, but he saw that Lexie's eyes had already softened.

"Relationship?" Lexie whispered. "We are in a relationship?"

Mark's brow furrowed. "What the hell did you think was going on here?"

"I don't know," Lexie whispered. "But when you said that you wanted to keep it secret, I thought that you didn't…"

"Didn't what?"

"Didn't want me anymore," she finished. "That this was just an affair to you; something to pass the time."

"Oh, Lexie," he said, causing her to shiver. She loved the way he said her name. "Believe me when I say that this is so much more than that to me. I can't explain it; I am really not good at talking about this stuff, but it is more than that, okay?"

"Okay," she said, nodding. "But why do you want to keep it secret?"

"I think it would just be better for both of us. The last thing you want is for people to think you are like your sister."

"What do you mean?"

Mark shrugged. "What happened with her and Shepherd has defined her. A lot of people think she is where she is because of her mother and Derek. You are a very promising surgeon Lexie. I don't want that for you." Mark's eyes seemed to be asking hers to believe him.

"Okay, we will keep it to ourselves," Lexie said. "For now."

Mark kissed her forehead, relieved the crisis was averted.

"Oh," Lexie suddenly said, "But Sadie knows."

Mark rolled his eyes. "That crazy intern has been here for less than two weeks and I swear, she knows more gossip than I do."

Lexie laughed. "I didn't tell her; she guessed. I think she is good at reading people."

Mark silently agreed, glad that Sadie had told him where to find Lexie a few days ago. "Fine, crazy intern knows. But no one else, okay?"

"M'kay," Lexie said, raising her face for a kiss which Mark happily gave her.

"Now, can we go back to bed please?" Mark asked with a grin.

"Sure," Lexie said with a coy smile, "But you're going to have to undress me again."

"Now that I can do," growled Mark. He picked Lexie up and carried her over to the bed, while Lexie was shrieking with laughter the whole time.

***

Lexie had a smile on her face when she went into work the next day. She was trying to control it, but as soon as she thought that she had mastered herself, some image of the previous night would come to mind and she would be smiling all over again. Last night, Lexie had seen the playful side of Mark Sloan. He seemed to have just as much fun horsing around as he did having sex, and Lexie was beginning to suspect that this was not only new territory for her alone.

"There you are," Sadie said, coming up next to Lexie.

Lexie beamed at her.

Sadie chuckled. "Nice night?"

Lexie nodded, unable to say more.

"Well, you are going to love me when you find out what I have accomplished," Sadie said.

"What's that?" Lexie said, looking down at the chart in her hands as she spoke.

Sadie opened her mouth to speak, but a loud voice distracted them both.

"Three!" Christina yelled, coming towards her.

"You can thank me later," Sadie murmured.

Lexie suddenly got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, "Sadie, what did you do?" She hissed, but Sadie was already walking away with a smiled on her face.

Lexie turned to Christina, "What can I do for you Dr. Yang?"

"You are assigned to Plastics until further notice," Christina said, grabbing the cardio patient's chart out of Lexie's hands.

"What? No, I don't… Um, can we talk about this?" Lexie asked anxiously.

"No," Christina said. "Now go!"

"Going," Lexie muttered.

Lexie's head was whirling at she started looking for Mark. How was she supposed to work with him when all she wanted to do was kiss him and rip off his clothes? This was bad, very bad.

It didn't take long for Lexie to find Mark. He was standing talking to Derek in the Neuro wing. Lexie bit her lip, and began to walk over to him.

Derek smiled at her as he walked away, and Lexie shuffled up to Mark.

He didn't look at her, but a smile quirked at his lips. "Go away."

"Why?" Lexie asked with a grin.

"Cause I can't think when you are near. Also because you snuck out and left me to wake up to a cold bed this morning."

Lexie smiled. "I had doctoring to do. Rounds started at five this morning. Some of us were doing real work while others slept in."

Mark smiled to himself. "Just getting my beauty sleep, Dr. Grey."

"Like you need it, Dr. Sloan," Lexie replied.

"So what are you doing here?" Mark asked.

Lexie bit her lip again. "Well, um… you know how we talked about not working together because it might complicate things?"

"Yeah," Mark said, looking at her.

"Well, we are gonna have to eighty-six that plan."

"Why?"

"Because I have been assigned to Plastics."

"For the day?"

"Um, sort of indefinitely." Lexie gave him an uneasy smile.

"This isn't going to work," Mark muttered.

"Why is that?" Lexie asked.

"Because I can't focus on medicine when you are around," he groaned. "How did this happen?"

"Well," Lexie said, "Hypothetically, there was this intern who was missing an appendix…"

Mark groaned.

"And hypothetically, she wanted to help out a friend by doing them a favor. This intern might have, without asking, gone to her friend's resident who hated her and told that same resident that a certain intern hated Plastics."

"Why would this intern without an appendix have done that?" Mark asked, struggling to stay serious.

"Well, hypothetically, because she knew that this resident wanted to make a certain intern's life miserable for her role in keeping that same resident from the solo surgery, and that she was certain to give the previously mentioned friend a permanent Plastics rotation."

Mark grimaced, but then paused and said, "Wait, do you hate plastics?"

Lexie shook her head. "No, not at all. I find your reconstructions fascinating."

"Then why—"

"All part of a certain intern's diabolical plan," Lexie pertly replied.

"Remind me to make Sadie's life miserable the next time she is assigned to me."

"Dr. Sloan!"

"What now?" Mark muttered, turning.

"I would like to scrub in on your surgery today," Dr. Bailey said, giving him a rare smile.

"I am in hell," Mark muttered to himself, only loud enough so that Lexie could hear him.

Lexie coughed to cover her laugh.

"Something wrong, Dr. Grey?" Bailey asked.

"No, Dr. Bailey," Lexie said. "What about you Dr. Sloan? You look like you are coming down with something."

Mark narrowed his eyes as Lexie flashed him an innocent smile.

This was going to be fun, Lexie thought.

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A/N: Review Please!!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, So here is the next Chapter... Enjoy!!!

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Due to the combined efforts of Dr. Bailey and Lexie, by the end of the day, Mark Sloan was ready to swear off women. He had reached a place of such utter frustration, that he was likely to lash out at the next person who spoke to him. Dr. Bailey didn't mean to annoy him; Mark knew that, she just wanted to know everything. She had question after question, and each question had multiple parts and a follow up. Had Bailey not been a doctor, Mark was convinced that she would have been a wonderful investigative reporter.

Lexie was another story all together. She had spent the day deliberately torturing him. She was brushing up against him, and making eyes at him anytime Dr. Bailey looked the other way. As she presented the case, she made sure their fingers brushed when she handed him the chart. And later, when Mark was getting ready to go into surgery, Lexie had winked at him before going to sit in the gallery. After the surgery, once Dr. Bailey had left due to a page, Mark pulled Lexie into the first available supply closet.

"You're bad," Mark said, pushing her up against the wall and kissing her the way he had wanted to all morning. He dragged his lips across her own, giving as much pleasure as he was receiving. It amazed him how addicting each one of Lexie's kisses was. She never seemed to tire of pressing her lips against his own, and as a result he thought about them a lot more than he should. Especially when the thought of her kisses was crossing his mind while he was in surgery.

"You love it," Lexie murmured against his lips.

Mark said nothing, he was too distracted by Lexie's body rubbing up against his own. "Damn it," he finally said.

"What?" Lexie asked, looking at him, her eyes filled with desire.

"I invited the intern into the supply closet," Mark said with a laugh.

"Dragged the intern into the supply closet would be a more apt description," Lexie replied pertly.

Mark laughed and kissed her again. "We better get back. You know, patients to save, careers to ruin."

Lexie grinned. "Sure, Dr. Sloan. Let's resume the teaching."

Mark groaned. "You're going to be the death of me."

"I certainly hope not," Lexie said, ducking out of the supply closet. Mark waited a couple of minutes and then followed, smiling to himself about the amount of time he spent following Lexie Grey around these days.

***

Derek was standing at the nurses' station reviewing a chart when he felt someone come up next to him. He looked up and nodded at Dr. Torres who had a pensive expression on her face. Derek smiled, happy that he and Torres had formed a little alliance for the benefit of their mutual friend.

"Do you think there is something going on with Mark?" She asked.

Derek laughed. "I am afraid you are going to have to clarify that statement. There is always _something_ going on with Mark."

Callie smiled. "True. It's just that… I don't know. He has been acting really weird lately. First he was all crazy grumpy for days, and now… I caught him whistling this morning. Mark Sloan, whistling!" Callie's voice expressed her disbelief. "Seriously, how off is that?"

Derek shook his head with a smile. "Maybe he is just finally getting into the holiday spirit."

Callie looked at Derek as if he was nuts. "Mark? The holiday spirit? Are we talking about the same Mark Sloan here?"

Shepherd nodded. "Good point. He must have gotten…um, well, you know."

"I wonder who…" Callie trailed off.

Her and Derek both looked at each other and smiled, "Derm Nurse," they said, giving each other high-five's.

***

Meredith came up next to Christina, holding a chart in her hand. She hesitated about the best way to approach her, and decided on the most casual. "You interested in a heart transplant case? I am scrubbing in with Derek this afternoon, and can't take it."

Christina shrugged. "I have a trauma case with Hunt."

Meredith sighed, wishing she knew how to fix this. If anyone had a right to be mad it was her considering that Christina had given the solo surgery to Alex. She conveniently forgot about the reason why Christina hadn't done it herself in the first place. Meredith opened her mouth to speak, but then she saw Lexie walking with Sloan in the hallway.

"What is Lexie doing with Dr. Sloan?" Meredith asked.

Christina smirked to herself as she wrote in the chart at the counter. "Lexiepedia is learning the importance of having a complete rotation. Plastics is going to be her new home for a while."

"You assigned Lexie to Plastics?" Meredith hissed. "What were you thinking?"

Christina rolled her eyes. "I was thinking about teaching my intern a lesson. Please, don't pretend you care."

Meredith grabbed the chart and walked away, going up the stairs to find Derek. By the time she had gotten to him, Callie had already left, and Derek was just about to leave the nurses station. When Meredith got close enough, she flicked him with her index finger and thumb.

"Ow!" Derek said.

"You promised!"

"Promised what?"

"You promised that you would keep Mark away from Lexie!" Meredith flicked him again.

"Ow! Enough with the flicking!" Derek protested. "And that is not what I promised. I said I would talk to him about it, and I did."

"Oh, yeah? Then why has Lexie been assigned to Mark until further notice?"

Derek shrugged. "Ask Christina."

"I did," Meredith said. "And all she would say is that she has assigned her to him until further notice. There is no way Sloan has enough self-control to stay away from Lexie when she is working with him!"

"Relax, Meredith," Derek said. "Mark is with the new Derm Nurse, well, for the time being anyway."

Meredith bit her lip and sighed. "That doesn't matter. There is no way Mark Sloan could be a one woman guy."

***

By the time his shift had ended, Mark was worn out. Trying to balance Dr. Bailey and Lexie was exhausting. Mark was just grateful that Lexie was still not allowed in the OR. He didn't think he would have been able to get through their second surgery if she had been that near to him. Mark changed and was leaving his office, when Lexie walked up.

"Hey there," she said, a smile on her face.

"Hello, Dr. Grey," Mark said, conscious of the doctors and nurses around them. He lowered his voice, "When do you get off work?"

"An hour," she said.

"I'll be waiting," he replied.

She turned to go, but then stopped and looked at him. "I liked working with you today."

Mark felt his chest tighten as he looked at her. There was such an honest and simple sincerity on Lexie's face that Mark felt as if he had just won the biggest prize. He could take no more. Mark grabbed Lexie's hand and dragged her into his office and yanked the door closed. Mark flipped the lock and pushed Lexie up against the door.

"What is with you dragging me into dark rooms?" Lexie said with a laugh.

"You can't say things like that to me," Mark murmured, looking into her eyes, but not answering her question.

"Say things like what?" Lexie asked.

"Like you liked working with me," Mark replied.

"Why not?" Lexie asked, her eyes big as she felt the beginnings of desire curling in her belly.

"Because you make me want to give us both away." Mark whispered, kissing her forehead. "When you look at me like that, I can't help but think…"

"What?" Lexie asked, her eyes locked on his.

"That I wish I could do this in front of everyone. That I wish we could be Mark and Lexie in front of everyone."

"We can be," Lexie whispered.

Mark shook his head. "We can't, Lex, I promised."

"What did you promise?" Lexie asked, realizing this was not the first time he had mentioned a promise to her.

"I promised Derek that I would stay away from you, that I wouldn't take you to bed. And I tried, God Lexie, I tried so hard." Mark's words were like a caress against her skin. "I stayed away, even though I wanted to take you home that night Sadie almost died. And I tried to keep things professional when we had Mrs. Patterson's reconstruction. But all I wanted to do was pull you into my arms and kiss you senseless. I tried Lexie, but I just can't stay away from you."

Lexie shook her head. "I can't either. When Mrs. Patterson spoke, I realized there was no one else in the world I wanted to tell. That is why I went to your hotel room, Mark. I wanted to share it with you." Lexie put her hand on top of his heart. "I wanted you to know how amazing I think you are."

"Oh, Lexie," He whispered. "Lex…" He kissed her then, up against the door. His body was pressed against hers, and Lexie was holding him just as tight as he was holding her. He lifted his hand and gently stroked the bare skin at her neck, dragging his fingers along her collarbone.

"Mark," she cried. "Please."

Clothes came off then, flying in every direction as they tried to stay close to each other at the same time. When Lexie was naked, Mark dropped his jeans and lifted her against the door. As he entered her, he whispered, "Someday they'll know…"

He didn't fully know what he meant, but Lexie understood. Someday this wouldn't be a secret. Someday, there would be no guilt, no ghosts in the room. Someday it would be just them. Just Lexie and Mark.

***

It was a long time before Mark lowered her back to the floor. He hadn't wanted to give up the pleasure of holding her, but in the end, he had been afraid of crushing her, and allowed her to lower her feet. Mark picked up her clothing and handed it to her, piece by piece.

Once they were fully clothed, Lexie looked at him and cocked her head to one side. "Mark, I have a question for you."

"Shoot," he said, as he pulled his shirt over his head.

"Are you seeing anyone else?"

Lexie's question went off like a bomb in the room.

Mark looked at her like she had slapped him. "How can you ask me that?"

Lexie's eyes widened when she saw the look on his face. "Mark!" She said urgently, "I didn't mean it like that! It's just that we never talked about exclusivity, and it has only been a couple of days, and I didn't want you to feel obligated to me. Not that you do feel obligated to me. But if you did, I just wanted to tell you, that I am not seeing anyone else." Lexie closed her eyes in embarrassment. "Stop talking, Lexie," She mumbled to herself.

Mark smiled, and walked over to her. He tipped her chin so that she was looking at him. "Lexie Grey, I think you are just as bad at this relationship thing as I am."

"If not worse," Lexie said with an embarrassed smile.

"Well, let me put your mind at ease. I am not seeing anyone else, I am not sleeping with anyone else, and I am not thinking of anyone else."

Lexie smiled. "How do you always know how to say the right things when I am being neurotic?"

"It's a gift," Mark said with a grin.

"Yes, it is," Lexie agreed, totally serious.

Mark groaned. "Don't look at me like that Lexie."

"Or what?"

"Or we are never going to get out of my office."

Lexie was about to reply when her pager went off. "Hold that thought," she said.

Mark kissed her. "I'll see you in a half an hour."

Lexie grinned. "Not if I see you first."

***

George O'Malley had a bad day. None of his interns seemed to respect him or accept the fact that he was their boss. The last thing he felt like doing was going back to the crappy apartment he shared with Lexie. It was simply too depressing. He sighed as he stared at the surgical board.

"Hey George," Lexie said, coming up next to him. She smiled when she saw Mark's name on the board from an earlier surgery. She had changed to go home, and she was about to leave to go meet Mark.

"Hey Lexie," George said, not looking at her.

She was about to walk away, when he said, "Hey, what are you doing tonight?"

"Tonight? Why? Why do you ask? Did you hear something?"

"What?" George asked. "No, I just wanted to know if you wanted to go get a drink with me."

Lexie stood there in shock when suddenly a wide grin broke across her face. It amazed her to think that just a few short weeks ago her heart would have burst with excitement if George had asked her that. She realized for the first time that she had absolutely no feelings for George O'Malley.

It was as if the girl who had once done all those nice things for him and sacrificed surgeries for him had never existed to begin with, or if she had it had been in another life all together. Looking at him now, Lexie had a wonderful feeling of freedom, and a sudden desperate urge to see Mark.

"No," she said, still grinning. "I don't want to get a drink with you."

"Okay," George said, puzzled at the wide grin on her face. "Will I see you at home?"

Lexie shrugged, still smiling. "Maybe," she said, whistling as she walked away.

"Weird," George muttered to himself when she was out of sight.

When Lexie turned the corner, she began to run.

Except this time, she wasn't running away from something.

She was running towards it.

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A/N: Review Please!


	5. Chapter 5

**Here is the next chapter...**

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The next three weeks were the best of Lexie's life. She could never have imagined that it could be like this. That happiness was a real and tangible thing that she could hold onto. Passionate nights were followed by happy mornings when she woke up in Mark's arms and savored the feeling of being wrapped up in him.

At the hospital, Mark strived to be professional, but Lexie knew he was thinking about her from the heated glances he aimed in her direction. They hadn't had sex in the hospital again, they saved that for his hotel room, but Lexie didn't mind. Because they weren't allowed to be physical in the hospital for fear of being caught, Mark had started doing other things to show her that he was thinking of her.

It had started small. A cappuccino here, or a kind word there, but then Mark seemed to like doing things for her. He started dog-earing articles in medical journals that he thought she would like, or teaching her a complicated stitch once she was allowed back in the OR.

He still acted like a jerk in front of others, but he used small ways of showing her he cared.

Lexie thought that he just like taking care of her, since he had never had anyone to care for before her.

Her theory was proved correct when she woke up in the on call room to find Mark pulling the rough blanket up over her shoulders. When he saw that she had opened her eyes, he shrugged and said, "You looked cold."

She had smiled and said, "You don't have to go."

"I really do," he responded. "Or I'll never leave."

She laughed. "So never leave."

Mark had then locked the door and laid down next to her. But instead of reaching for her clothing, he had pulled her close to him, and whispered, "Sleep, Lexie."

Small things like that had convinced Lexie that she was seeing a side of Mark Sloan that few people ever did.

And sometimes, late in the night as he held her close, Mark would talk about his childhood, and the loneliness that had consumed his entire existence back then. He spoke about Derek, and the guilt he still felt. And he spoke about Carolyn Shepherd who had taken him in when no one else had cared.

In turn, Lexie had told him how powerless she felt when it came to her father, and how much she missed her mother. She told him how her sister had always been the favorite, and how Lexie had desperately wanted Meredith to like her. To have a member of her family that wanted her around.

And it was in these moments that the loneliness that had been apart of them all their lives had slowly disappeared. They had started healing, and Lexie could feel herself fall for Mark more and more each day.

It did worry her sometimes. The idea that maybe he wouldn't feel the same way back, that maybe he would leave her if he met someone else, that his fidelity was only temporary. But there was this much bigger concern that she had, that she would miss out on the best thing of her life simply because she was scared. So she forced her doubts to the back of her mind, and focused on him. On how he was now, cause that was all that really mattered.

When Christmas came, Lexie shyly asked him if he wanted to come to her house for the holidays. Mark had looked visibly upset when he told her that he was going to Meredith's.

"Derek asked me," Mark said. "I thought you would want to be with your family."

"I do…" Lexie trailed off. "It's just that you could be there too. They don't know you and they don't talk to Meredith or Dr. Shepherd. We could be a real couple for a night."

"We are a real couple, Lex," Mark had said as he pulled her into his arms. They were sitting on his hotel bed, and had been in surgery all afternoon. "It's just that no one else knows. But we are real," Mark whispered.

"So come," Lexie said, kissing him lightly. "It won't be any fun, but at least we could be together."

"Oh, Lexie," Mark murmured. "Why can't I resist you?"

Mark had called then and canceled on Derek, saying he was going back to New York for two days to see his aunt. Derek never would have believed him if he had said he was returning to see his parents. But in the end it hadn't mattered. Mark had been paged on Christmas Eve and spent the holiday doing a facial reconstruction. When Derek had made a comment, Mark had shrugged and said his flight was cancelled. That night, when he had returned to his hotel room, Lexie had been curled up on the bed in a bright red Christmas sweater.

Approaching the bed, Mark had whispered, "Lexie."

"Hmm?" Was his reply, as she rolled over and slowly opened her eyes. "You're here," She had said, a glad smile on her face.

Mark sat down on the bed and handed her a small wrapped package. "Merry Christmas, Lexie."

Lexie had looked at him in surprise and pleasure. She took the gift out of his hands, and pulled the ribbon of slowly. Then, inserting her finger under the wrapping, she undid the paper without ripping it. Mark smiled to himself; only Lexie would treat the wrapping as delicately as the gift.

Lexie opened the box, and pulled out a silver key with a small card attached. Four numbers were on the card, along with an address. She looked at Mark for an explanation.

"That is the key and the security code to my new apartment." Mark said, looking at her to gauge her reaction.

Lexie's face was blank as she stared down at the key in her hand.

Mark felt the need to explain, "I just wanted you to know that this past month has been the best of my life. You make me want things that I didn't even begin to believe were possible, Lexie," he said in a rush. "I got the apartment because I didn't want to bring you back to this hotel room anymore. You deserve to spend your time in a real home, with a warm fire place and a kitchen."

Lexie looked up. "It has a fireplace?"

Mark smiled. "Wood burning and all." He reached up and cupped her cheek. "I just want you to know, Lexie… I am all in."

Tears started streaming down Lexie's face. She closed her fingers over the key and kissed him. "I can't imagine my life without you."

Mark blinked back the tears that had begun to gather in his own eyes.

"I can't believe you gave me a key already," Lexie murmured.

"It isn't just a key," Mark said, matching her hushed voice.

"It isn't?"

"No," he said. "I want you to move in with me."

Lexie gasped. "But it has only been a month."

Mark shook his head. "That doesn't matter. It feels like I have known you all my life. I want you to live with me, Lexie. I like the way your toothbrush sits next to mine. I want to make it a permanent toothbrush cohabitation situation."

Lexie laughed when she saw his impish grin. "What a mouthful." She took a deep breath, and then said, "Okay."

"Okay, what?" Mark asked.

"Okay, I'll move in with you," Lexie clarified. "But you realize everyone will know."

Mark shook his head and kissed her forehead, "I don't care," he murmured against her skin. "I want everyone to know that you are mine. When we go back to the hospital in a few days, I am going to tell Derek. No more hiding, Lex."

Lexie felt her heart swell with love for Mark. She wanted to tell him how she felt, but something told her it wasn't the right time. Soon. She cleared her throat, "Well, my present is going to seem really lame after this," she remarked.

Mark's eyes brightened. "You got me a present?"

Lexie nodded. Getting off the bed, she walked over to her purse and pulled out an object shaped like a book. "Merry Christmas, Mark."

Mark ripped the wrapping off and laughed when he saw what it was. _Cosmetic Surgery for Dummies_ was emboldened on the cover.

Lexie smiled at him. "Look inside."

Mark opened the cover, and pulled out an envelope which had two plane tickets inside. They were to New York. He looked up at her with a puzzled smile.

Lexie came over and straddled his lap, smiling when he instinctively pulled her close. "I finish my internship in four months," She murmured, kissing him. "I get two weeks off when I do, before I start my residency. I know we haven't made plans of any kind, but I wanted you to know that I am in this for the long haul." Lexie tilted her head towards the key. "Great minds think alike, I guess."

Mark laughed. "What am I going to do with you?" Mark asked, dragging his lips across her jaw.

"I can think of a few things," Lexie replied.

He smiled against her skin. "I can't wait to show you my favorite places in New York. You are going to love it."

"I am sure I will," Lexie said, arching her back as Mark's lips moved down her body.

Against her belly, he said, "There is this great place in Central Park where you can't even tell you're in the city at all."

"Uh-huh," Lexie replied, fisting the sheets as her moved his fingers up her thigh.

"And my favorite Italian restaurant; we'll have to go there too," Mark said, as he began to gently rub his fingers against her panties.

"And you will love—"

"Mark!" Lexie burst out. "Stop talking!"

He grinned and moved back up her body, kissing her lips lightly. "Patience, Little Grey. I'll take care of you."

Lexie mewled, and Mark began his tortuous descent again.

***

When Mark returned to work on Monday, he made a detour by the coffee cart first. He ordered two, and began walking slowly towards the surgical board where he knew Derek would be. When he arrived, he handed Derek his drink without saying anything. Derek nodded his thanks.

"How was your Christmas?" Derek asked.

"It was great," Mark said with a grin.

Derek frowned. "You spent it in surgery, right?"

"Um, yeah," Mark responded. "I meant after. After was nice. What about you?"

Derek grunted. "Eh. Meredith nearly set the house on fire with her cooking, and I spent the evening refereeing between her and Christina. Oh, and apparently Izzie is crazy and can see ghosts, and she thought that Christmas Dinner was the best time to reveal this. George got drunk and cried like a little girl, and Alex ended up breaking a window and needing stitches."

"Hmm, that's nice," Mark said, trying to figure out the best way to tell Derek about Lexie.

Derek laughed. "Now, I know you weren't paying attention. What is going on with you?"

"Um, I need to talk to you about something," Mark said. "Something personal."

"What?"

"Well, you see there is this thing…"

"A thing?" Derek repeated.

"A thing," Mark said again. "And I need to talk to you about this…"

"Thing?" Derek suggested helpfully.

"Exactly."

Derek smiled. "What is it, Mark? You're all twitchy."

"Am not."

"Are too," Derek said with a laugh. "Spit it out."

"Okay, here goes," Mark began.

"Mom," Derek said.

"What?" Mark said.

Derek pointed, and Mark turned to see Derek's mom standing there smiling at her son.

"Mom," Derek called, smiling when she walked over. She kissed Derek and hugged him.

"My God, Derek. You are skin and bones." She then looked at Mark and gave him a smile.

Mark breathed a sigh of relief and then hugged the woman who had been like a mother to him. "Mom," he said to her as she hugged him. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, when Derek didn't come for Christmas, I decided to come out to Seattle and see what was keeping him here." She looked at Derek pointedly. "I want to meet Meredith, Derek."

Mark started to chuckle. "Well, good luck with that. I am just going to go now."

"Wait Mark," Derek said desperately. "What about the thing? The thing you were going to tell me?"

Mark chuckled. "Oh, I golfed under par last week." He grinned at his best friend.

"You're evil," Derek muttered.

Mark kissed Carolyn's cheek and said, "I have to get to surgery, but I will see you later."

She smiled. "Of course, you will. We are all doing dinner tonight," she commanded.

Mark laughed. "I'll be there. Have fun, Derek."

"Evil!" Derek called after him.

Mark's laughter echoed down the hall.

* * *

**Review Please!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I want to thank everyone for the amazing feedback I have gotten. I am so glad everyone is enjoying the story. Without further ado...**

* * *

Mark was still smiling to himself as he walked away, chuckling internally at Derek's discomfort. His best friend was one of the most self-assured men that he knew, but put him within ten feet of any Shepherd woman and he became ten years old again. Checking his watch, Mark began to jog to the on call room he knew Lexie was occupying. When he reached the door, he eased the handle open quietly in case she was sleeping. She had been in the hospital since the previous morning, and Mark had missed her while he had his last vacation day.

When he entered the room, he saw her curled up on the bed, her hands tucked up under her chin, like a little girl. He gently closed the door behind himself, and walked over to the bed. Sitting on the edge, Mark gently shook her, "Lexie, wake up."

Lexie groaned, causing Mark to grin. "Come on, wake up."

"You better be here for sex," she muttered. "Otherwise, go away."

Mark laughed. "And to think, I used to believe you were so good and innocent."

"I am good and innocent," Lexie replied, rolling over to face him. She smiled when she saw the look on his face. "Good morning."

"Hey," he said.

"Don't you have a surgery?" Lexie asked, looking at her watch.

Mark nodded. "I am going now."

"You don't want to be late."

"Well, they can't very well start without me," Mark grinned.

"Oh," Lexie said, blushing. "Right. Sorry, my brain is still a little fuzzy."

Mark laughed. "Well, try to remember this. I am going to be home later tonight, probably around nine. Derek's mom is here to inspect your sister and we are having dinner out somewhere."

Lexie rolled over. "Hmph, I always knew you would leave me for another woman."

Mark laughed. "Don't worry; I am sure I will come home with my virtue still intact."

"You better," Lexie said, still facing away from him. Mark loved the soft way her voice sounded when she was joking around with him.

Lexie then rolled back over and said, "Did you tell him?"

Mark shook his head, "I was about to and then…"

"Then Mama Shepherd arrived," Lexie finished.

"I'll tell him, once she goes home, no need to overwhelm him all at once," Mark said.

"Does this mean we aren't moving into your apartment this weekend?"

"Our apartment," Mark corrected. "And yes, we are; I don't see any reason to delay. Derek will find out soon enough. My hope is that he will be so overwhelmed and relieved when his mother leaves that he won't care about the tiny detail of us moving in together."

"That's diabolical," Lexie said, grinning. "I love it."

He grinned back at her. "I thought you might." His pager went off then. "Gotta go. Noses to fix, lives to save."

Lexie laughed.

Mark kissed Lexie's head. "I'll see you later."

"Good luck on your surgery," Lexie murmured closing her eyes to try to drift off to sleep again.

The last thing she heard before sleep claimed her was, "You make me happy, Lexie."

***

An hour later, the door to the on call room banged open, and a heavy body bounced onto her bed. "Wake up Lexie!" Sadie's voice trilled.

"What does everybody have against me getting sleep?" Lexie asked as she opened her eyes.

Sadie laughed. "Nothing at all, I just haven't had a chance to talk to you for a while and I wanted to know how everything is going with that sex god you are sleeping with."

Lexie laughed, propping her head up on her arms. "Good, things are going good."

"What? That is all I get?" Sadie asked. "After our wonderful plan worked like a charm?"

"Your plan," Lexie said. "Besides, things had resolved themselves by then anyway."

"Admit it," Sadie said. "You have loved working with him all day, everyday."

Lexie blushed. "You are right, I have."

Sadie smiled. "Good. Now…how's the sex?"

"Sadie!"

"What? I am just curious if he lives up to his reputation as the best thing between the sheets here at Seattle Grace."

Lexie smiled to herself. "Believe me when I say that his reputation merely scratches the surface of all things Mark Sloan."

"Bloody Hell," Sadie said, fanning herself. "I am going to need details. Can your boy toy spare you tonight?"

Lexie nodded. "He has to go to this dinner with Meredith and Dr. Shepherd."

"That's right," Sadie said. "Death told me about that. Perfect then! We can go to Joe's and you can give me all the naughty details."

Lexie laughed. "That might require a lot of alcohol."

"That is something Joe's has no shortage of," Sadie replied. "Until later," she said, as she sailed out the door.

***

When Mark arrived at Meredith's, he was immediately pulled in the door by a harried looking Derek.

"You have to help me," he said to Mark, as he all but pushed him into the living room.

Mark shrugged out of his jacket. "What is it?"

"I am in hell," Derek said. "Mom and Meredith are in the kitchen, and I think they are going to come to blows at any minute."

"She doesn't like Meredith?"

"Hates her would be an accurate description."

Mark tried not to laugh. "I am sure that is not true; she is probably giving her a hard time because of how much she liked Addison."

"Whatever it is," Derek continued, "We have to do something. You need to take the focus off her. Distract my mother, do anything, just keep her and Meredith from all out war."

"Aw, Mark, there you are," Carolyn said, walking into the living room. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming."

"My surgery got bumped back," Mark explained, "I only just got out."

Carolyn nodded. "Well, the important thing is that you are here now. Come into the kitchen with me and help me cook, like you used to. I am afraid Derek's Meredith doesn't know a thing about hand-rolled pasta."

"Sure," Mark said. He then mouthed "Derek's Meredith?" to Derek, and tried not to laugh when Derek shook his head in defeat.

When Mark entered the kitchen, he grinned at Meredith who was downing a glass of white wine at an amazing speed. "Big Grey," Mark said, "And how are you this fine evening?"

Meredith glared at him, causing Mark to smile all the more. He then rolled up his sleeves and moved over by the stove with Carolyn.

"So," Carolyn began, "Do you have brothers and sisters, Meredith? Derek told me that your mother died recently."

"No," Meredith said. "No brothers or sisters."

Mark bit the inside of his cheek hard, trying not to yell at Meredith. Luckily, Derek did it for him. "What about Lexie and Molly?" He said, his voice conveying his disapproval.

"Oh," Meredith said. "I have two half-sisters," Meredith clarified. "From my dad's second marriage. We didn't grow up together."

"I see," Carolyn said, her voice conveying that she didn't see at all.

The front door slammed at that moment, and two voices began carrying down the hallway.

"I left it in the kitchen," Sadie was saying. "I'll just be a minute."

"I'll come with you," another voice said. It was Lexie.

They walked into the kitchen together, and both came up short.

Lexie became flushed almost immediately, while Sadie didn't look phased at all. "Oh, hey Death," Sadie said casually. "I left my phone here last night. Do you have it?"

Carolyn's eyebrows shot up. "Death?" She said, looking at Meredith.

"It's a long story," Meredith said. "A long complicated story with many parts that I am sure you do not care about."

"Mom," Derek said, cutting in and attempting to distract Carolyn from her prey. "This is Lexie, Meredith's sister." Derek put his hand on Lexie's back and propelled her into the room.

Lexie smiled hesitantly at Carolyn, conscious of the fact that this was the woman who Mark saw as a mother. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Shepherd," she said, extending her hand. Carolyn took it and smiled at Lexie. Lexie continued, "I am sorry to have interrupted your evening, I thought you had all gone out to dinner."

"How did you know we were getting together at all?" Meredith asked. "I didn't tell you."

Lexie froze, and lifted her panic-stricken eyes to Mark's. Mark realized then, that he was going to have to say something.

He opened his mouth to speak when Sadie said, "I told her."

"Oh," Meredith said, frowning. She didn't look convinced.

"Why aren't you joining us for dinner, Lexie?" Carolyn asked.

Lexie blushed and stammered, "Oh, I wasn't going…that is I wasn't…um…"

"Weren't you invited?" Carolyn asked, looking sharply at Meredith.

"It's okay," Lexie said. "I am heading to Joe's with Sadie." Her voice was soft, as if she didn't want to cause trouble.

Carolyn's eyes looked warmly at Lexie. "Nonsense. Derek has told me about that bar, and it does not have food that could possibly be described as dinner. You will eat with us. You're invited too…?" She looked at Sadie.

"Sadie," she said, giving her name. "But that's alright. I was meeting other people at the bar. I should probably go." Sadie then grabbed her phone off the counter where it had been sitting.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Lexie asked, not sure of what to do.

"No, you stay here and have a family dinner." Sadie shot her a wicked grin. "Should be fun."

Lexie shook her head at her, as Sadie left the kitchen.

Mark was trying not to look at Lexie, he felt so exposed here with his mom and Derek, and he didn't want them to see how he felt. Mark knew that what was going on with him and Lexie should _not_ come out like this. He didn't want to put her in that situation.

"Lexie, tell me," Carolyn began, "Did you grow up near here?"

Lexie nodded, and smiled shyly. "With my parents and my sister," she said. "But then I went away for college and medical school."

"Medical school?" Carolyn asked. "Are you a doctor too?"

"I am in my first year of the surgical intern program at Seattle Grace," Lexie said. "I was going to do my internship at Massachusetts General, but…" Lexie trailed off. "It was better that I come home and be close to my family."

Carolyn nodded her approval. "It is good that you value family, there is nothing more important," she said, looking pointedly at Meredith.

Lexie saw where this was going, and quickly jumped in, "Yes, I was so grateful too when I discovered that Meredith was at Seattle Grace. She made my transition so much easier than it could have been."

Carolyn looked surprised and then smiled at Meredith, "That is good to hear."

Meredith looked at Lexie gratefully, and mouthed, "Thank you."

Mark watched all this with interest, amazed at the way Lexie was able to smooth things over. There was something about her which automatically put people at ease. Mark smiled to himself, as he stirred the pasta.

"I think it's done," he said to Carolyn.

She smiled. "So is the sauce. Good, let's eat."

After dishing up the food, they all moved into the dinning room where Lexie had somehow ended up next to Mark while Meredith and Derek were at the ends of the table.

"So, Meredith, have you decided on a specialty yet?" Carolyn asked.

"No, not yet," she replied. "I am leaning towards Neurosurgery, though."

"Of course you are," Carolyn replied.

Derek took a gulp and finished off his glass of wine and then poured another.

"What about you, Lexie?" Carolyn asked.

"At the moment I am leaning towards Plastic Surgery," Lexie said.

Four pairs of eyes were suddenly focused on her.

"You are?" Meredith said in shock.

"I didn't know that," Derek chimed in.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Mark asked her quietly.

Lexie tried not to look at Mark, even though he was the only one she wanted to look at. "I have been thinking about it for a while," she said to Meredith. "Ever since M—" She blushed. "Dr. Sloan, I mean, did that surgery to make Mrs. Patterson speak again. It was so amazing, to create something and to give woman back her chance at a life. I am not so sure I would care to focus on the cosmetic aspect, but I do like the reconstruction possibilities."

The table was quiet. Mark felt like he was bursting with emotion, and he wanted to tell Lexie exactly how wonderful he thought that was, but of course he could not say that. So instead he said, "Well, I think you have potential in Plastics, Little Grey." Under the table he squeezed her hand, hoping that she understood.

Lexie looked down at her plate and smiled, and Mark knew that smile was meant for him.

Carolyn cleared her throat. "Well, I think it is admirable that you want to help people, Lexie. Mark must be a very good teacher."

Lexie blushed in earnest then. "He is, Mrs. Shepherd, he is."

Mark cleared his throat. "Pass the wine, would you Derek?"

Meredith dug into her food, hoping that was the end of the questions for a while. Derek gave the wine bottle to Mark and started talking about the clinical trial he and Meredith were working on. Mark poured the wine, and Lexie pushed her food around her plate.

But Carolyn, well, she looked back and forth between Mark and Lexie with curious speculation in her eyes.

* * *

**A/N: Review Please!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I am on a role tonight... Here is the latest installment!**

* * *

When dinner was over, they remained sitting at the table. Three empty wine bottles now adorned its surface, along with empty plates and used cloth napkins. Lexie liked the way the table looked, it had so much character. Mark's hand was still holding hers, and Lexie relished the feel of it. She had never felt like she belonged anywhere, but with Mark's hand in her own, that no longer rang true.

"That was wonderful, Mrs. Shepherd," Lexie said.

"Thank you, Lexie," Carolyn said. "I am glad you liked it."

"Yeah, Mom," Mark chimed in, "It was great. I have missed your pasta."

"It was good because you helped, Mark," Carolyn said kindly. "Do you remember when you used to help me cook when you were little?"

"Oh, please don't tell that story," Mark said.

"No," Derek said with a grin. "Please do."

"Well," Carolyn said, directing her comments at Lexie and Meredith, "When the boys were little they used to spend the afternoons in my kitchen doing homework. Now, Mark always finished first and Derek refused to let him help him, so Mark had nothing to do while he waited for Derek to finish. Soon, I started to give him cooking lessons."

"He wore an apron, and everything," Derek said with relish. "It was precious."

"Nice," Mark said.

"It was," Carolyn agreed.

Mark groaned, "Well, now that we have revisited the scars of my childhood, I'll just do the dishes."

"I'll help," Lexie offered.

"Derek," Mark said, "Why don't you take your mother and Meredith into the other room and talk?"

Derek glared at him, causing Mark to grin.

Once the dishes were all in the kitchen, Lexie and Mark began a system. She would rinse them and he would dry them and put them in the drainer.

Hands deep in soapy water, Lexie grinned at him, "So an apron, huh?"

Mark laughed. "What Derek doesn't remember about that story is that his sisters used to come and help as well."

"Aw," Lexie said, "A heart breaker even back then." She tapped the side of her nose with her wet pointer finger. "I get ya."

When she moved her hand away, she left a small amount of soapy bubbles behind. "Here," Mark said, "You have something right…" He then grabbed a handful of bubbles and rubbed them on Lexie's face.

She sputtered and then grinned, wiping the soap away, "Oh, it is so on!"

Soon, soap was flying everywhere as they laughed and played like children. Mark tried to catch her, but she was too quick for him. In no time at all, they were both soaking wet and covered in bubbles.

"Lexie Grey, come back here," Mark said with a laugh. When he finally caught her, they slipped on the wet floor, and fell in a tangle of arms and legs with Mark on the bottom, and Lexie sprawled on top of him.

***

The atmosphere in the living room was quite opposite from the kitchen. Meredith and Derek were sitting on the couch, while Carolyn sat in a chair and looked at Meredith as if she were a puzzle she couldn't quite figure out.

Derek was once again trying to tell his mother about the clinical trial when Carolyn asked, "Do you like children, Meredith?"

Meredith sputtered, "Most…I mean some…"

"I was just wondering because we have a lot of children in the Shepherd family. Does that appeal to you?" Carolyn's words held no malice, but rather curious inquiry.

"Yes," Meredith said. "I want children."

Carolyn nodded.

"Mom, why don't we—"

"Go find Mark and Lexie," Carolyn said to Derek. "Meredith and I are going to have a little chat."

***

Lexie was laughing so hard, she could barely breathe. "Smooth, real smooth Dr. Sloan."

"Hey, you're one to talk, Little Grey," Mark said with a laugh. He reached up and smoothed the wet hair away from her face.

"Psh, I am totally graceful. If _somebody_ hadn't made me lose my balance."

"Well, if _somebody_ hadn't been running on the wet floor," Mark countered, his eyes light as he looked at her. "You _will_ be the death of me, I can feel it. My back can feel it too."

Lexie laughed. "Okay, Grandpa."

"Hey!" Mark protested. "That's Dr. Grandpa to you."

Lexie was shaking with laughter, and Mark used that opportunity to cup her face in his hands. He was about to kiss her when Derek walked in.

"What happened in here?" He asked, looking around the room.

Lexie and Mark scrambled up from the floor, looking like guilty children.

***

"You're probably wondering why I want to talk to you," Carolyn said.

Meredith wondered if she should feign ignorance, but then decided that she had had enough. "Well, yeah," Meredith replied. "You have made no secret of your distaste for me, so yeah, Mrs. Shepherd, I am wondering why you want to talk to me."

"Meredith, I don't dislike you," Carolyn said. "I hardly know you. I came to Seattle with every intention of liking the girl who had stolen my son's heart." Carolyn sighed. "When Addison…well, you know. When she hurt Derek, I really and truly hated her. She had been one of my favorite people for so long, but what she did to Derek… that was unforgivable to me."

"But you and Mark seem so…" Meredith trailed off.

"I don't blame him for what happened," Carolyn said. "You have to understand something, Meredith. It was an open secret in our family that Mark was in love with Addison. We all knew it, and we all pitied him for it. And I knew as well that given an opening, he would take it. I blame Addison for what happened, because she knew how Mark felt about her and she let it happen. She was as casual with Mark's feelings as she was with Derek's. And as far as Derek and Mark's friendship, well, that is between the two of them. But Mark is like a son to me, and I will always be on his side too."

Meredith nodded, signaling Carolyn should go on.

"When I met you today, I couldn't read you," Carolyn said. "Tonight, I wanted to see what kind of person you are. Maybe it was wrong, but you have to understand how important this is to me Meredith." Tears gathered in Carolyn's eyes, and Meredith automatically reached out her hand towards Carolyn's. "He's my baby boy, and I need to know that you will be good to him."

"I understand," Meredith said.

"I think you do," Carolyn said. "I think I am going to like you."

Meredith smiled, relieved that the feeling was mutual.

***

Derek was very quiet at first, surveying the kitchen. Finally, he said, "Lexie, would you excuse us? Mark and I need to have a little conversation." Derek's face was utterly blank, and Mark looked at him with a confused look in his eyes.

"Of course," Lexie murmured. "I'll just go. I need to get back to the hospital anyway. George has his solo surgery later tonight." Lexie looked at Mark. "I am just going to go home and change first."

Mark nodded imperceptibly, so that only Lexie would know he understood.

She left the kitchen and walked down the hall, stopping on the edge of the living room, hoping she wasn't interrupting anything. When she saw Meredith and Carolyn smiling at each other, Lexie breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hi," Lexie said, stepping into the room. "I am gonna go now. I need to run home and change before George's solo surgery."

"Oh, right," Meredith said, making a metal note to return to the hospital. She then noticed that Lexie was wet. "What happened to you?"

"I lost the battle to the sink," Lexie said with a grin.

"Who is George?" Carolyn asked.

"He is a fellow resident," Meredith explained.

"That's nice," Carolyn said, smiling at Meredith.

Lexie looked back and forth between the two of them and then grinned at her sister. "I will see you later."

"Okay," Meredith said. "And Lexie?"

"Yeah?" She said, turning.

"Thanks."

Lexie nodded and quietly let herself out the front door.

***

In the other room, Derek looked at Mark calmly and asked, "What are you doing?"

"What do you mean?" Mark asked.

"With Lexie," Derek said calmly. "What are you doing?"

"Derek—" Mark began, but Derek cut him off.

"I remember asking you to stay away from her, Mark."

"Derek, you don't understand—"

"No, you don't understand," Derek said. "It was not negotiable, Mark. I understand that you have to work with her, and I could even understand a sort of casual friendship, but what I just saw cannot happen again. Lexie is off limits, Mark."

"I don't remember giving you permission to run my life," Mark snapped.

"I am not running your life," Derek evenly replied. "I am telling you to stay away from my sister."

"She's not your—"

"She will be. Soon enough, she will be. So I am asking you, as my best friend, to stay away from her."

"It's not that simple," Mark said.

"Wrong," Derek replied. "It is that simple. Stay away from her, Mark."

"But…"

"You owe me," Derek said quietly. "You know you do."

Mark felt a chill run down his spine that had nothing to do with his wet clothes. He looked at his best friend and wondered if Derek had ever really forgiven him. "You'll always have that, won't you?" Mark said, matching Derek's quiet tone. "No matter what happens, you'll always be right and I'll always be wrong."

"No, Mark," Derek said. "That is not what this is about. I forgave you for Addison. This has nothing to do what happened between you, and me, and her. This is about the fact that I have been your best friend since we were little kids and I was always there for you. So I am asking you to stay away from my sister."

Mark squeezed his eyes shut and gripped the counter with both hands. "I have to go," he whispered, fleeing the kitchen. He walked straight out of the house, grabbing his jacket without stopping.

"Mark!" Carolyn called. "Mark!"

Derek went into the living room where she and Meredith were sitting.

"What happened?" Carolyn asked.

"I warned him away from Lexie again," Derek said.

"Oh, Derek," his mother sighed.

"What happened?" Meredith asked.

"He didn't take it well," Derek replied shortly.

"Have either of you considered," Carolyn said, "that you may already be too late?"

Meredith and Derek looked at each other and then shook their heads. "No way," Meredith said. "If they had hooked up we would know. The whole hospital would know."

Derek nodded. "There is no way they could keep that a secret."

Carolyn shook her head. "You could be wrong."

**

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A/N: Review, S'il Vous Plaît!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hi Everyone! So let me start by saying I have been overwhelmed by the wonderful response I have been receiving, and I want you all to know that I will be working on this story through the holidays. The updates will keep coming, I promise. Also, it should be noted that in this chapter my one-shot and this fic finally collide. Many of you will recognize the scene from Unfinished in here, but in this chapter it is from Lexie's perspective. And to those who have mentioned it, Derek means well, but he really has no idea how Mark feels about Lexie.**

**This chapter is dedicated to Lattelady. I hope this provides you with some incentive to keep going with your story! Just wait until you read it guys, you will love it as much as I do!**

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It took a long time for Mark to get up the courage to leave the hotel bar and go up to his room. He had been sitting there for what seemed like hours, but was in reality, only thirty minutes. He knew he had to go up to his room and talk to Lexie, to tell her what happened, but he just couldn't.

When he finally did get the courage to do it, he was shaking as he rode the elevator. By the time he put the key in the door to his room, Mark felt sick to his stomach.

Lexie was coming out of the bathroom, and when she saw him she smiled. "Perfect timing. I just finished, but I left plenty of hot water for you." She walked over to the vanity and grabbed her brush, running it through her hair. "I have to go soon; I promised I would be at George's solo surgery tonight."

"Okay," Mark said.

"What did Derek want?" Lexie asked. "Did he warn you away from me again?" Lexie laughed and Mark thought to himself that it sounded like bells ringing.

"Yeah," Mark said. "He did. He made it clear that in no uncertain terms am I to go near you."

Lexie laughed again. "Oh, poor you. Well, he will just have to get used to the idea of us together."

Mark sat down on the bed heavily. "I don't think that is an option anymore."

Lexie stopped brushing her hair. She got very still, and then turned around to face Mark. "What do you mean?" Her voice was trembling.

"I mean Derek was very clear. He doesn't want me near you in any capacity. And if I make that choice, if I continued to pursue you, I would lose his friendship."

"What did you tell him?" Lexie asked quietly.

Mark said nothing.

"Tell me you didn't say that you would give me up! Tell me you didn't promise to stay away from me." Her voice was filled with disbelief and fear.

"I didn't promise anything," Mark said, his head falling into his hands. "I made no promises to anyone."

"Yes, you did," Lexie said. "You made promises to me! To me, Mark!"

He looked up at her, his eyes tortured, "Lex…"

Lexie reeled back. "No, you can't do this Mark. I won't let you." She walked over to the bed, sat next to him, and pulled his mouth to hers. She tried to convince him with her body, that which she could not say with words: that they belonged together.

Clothes quickly went flying, as they attacked each other hungrily. She touched him with measured movements, her hands finding those acutely sensitive spots which she had spent the last month discovering. When she dragged her teeth across his chest, and felt his shudder in response, she said, "You want me. You know that." He wasn't resisting, but his eyes look so sorrowful. But after a while his resolve melted away. He pulled her to him, and met her lips with a pleading kiss. Her eyes met his in drugged passion, and as she straddled him and settled down on his hot length, she whispered, "You can't let this go."

They both quickly found their release, and after, when she had collapse on top of him, his eyes met her own. "Tell me now that you don't want me," she whispered. "I dare you."

"Oh, Lexie," he whispered.

She felt something die inside of her at that moment. She eased off of him, and sat on the edge of the bed facing away from him. Tears were coursing down her face, and she was trying desperately to keep in her sobs. Finally, when she had gained some measure of self-control, she said, still facing away from him, "Why are you doing this?"

"He's my brother," Mark said, his voice filled with regret. "I don't know what to do."

Lexie stood and silently dressed. She wouldn't look at him. When she was fully dressed, Lexie turned to Mark. "I know that this is hard for you. I know what you might have to give up, but Mark, you have to choose. It is not ideal, and God knows that you never should have to do this, but Derek has made that impossible. So you have to choose."

Mark sat up, still naked, on the bed. "Lexie…"

"It's okay, Mark," Lexie said. "Think about it. Sleep on it. Whatever." A single tear snaked down her face. "Just don't tell me tonight. I couldn't bear it."

She grabbed her purse, and walked out the door, leaving Mark to the silence and emptiness of his hotel room.

***

Lexie ended up at Joe's where she stayed until closing. She hardly had anything to drink, though. She nursed the same Midori Sour all night. Mark had tried to call her cell phone after she left, but she turned it off when she saw it was him calling. She couldn't talk to him at the moment. Not right now.

After Joe's closed, she ended up walking for a while, in all directions until she ended up at her apartment around sunrise. When she looked up at the horrible apartment building, she couldn't remember the last time she had been there. She must have picked up clothes there recently, but she couldn't remember it. When she turned her key in the lock, she tried to be quiet in case George was sleeping.

But he wasn't sleeping. The moment she set foot in the door, George said, "Where have you been?"

Lexie jumped, startled to find George in the living area. "Jesus Christ, George. You scared me!"

"Where have you been, Lexie?" George repeated, standing and raising his voice. It annoyed Lexie that George thought he had a right to speak to her like that.

She then closed the door, and said, "I was on call." She couldn't look at him. If she did, she would start to cry and tell him the entire story of what was going on with Mark.

"You're lying," George accused. "I called Christina. You weren't on call. Where were you Lexie?"

"Why does it matter?" Lexie asked, annoyed at his highhandedness. He had no right to act like this.

"Because we are roommates and I am concerned about you. You are never here anymore. You are always gone, ever since a month ago, the night Alex had his solo surgery."

George sounded sincere, but Lexie was too upset to care. This had been an emotional night, and the last thing she needed was George acting like he had a right to get on her case.

"Like you care," Lexie said, laughing bitterly. "I am a big girl, George. I can take care of myself."

"Maybe the better question to ask would be who you have been with," George said, his stutter apparent.

Lexie suddenly had flashing images of her and Mark from earlier in the night when she had begged him not to give them up. It made her angry, so she snapped, "My personal life is none of your business, George."

George looked all tragic and childish when she said that.

"I don't understand what is going on with you. We used to tell each other everything. You cared about what happened in our friendship." His voice was filled with self-righteous indignation. "You weren't even in the gallery at my solo surgery tonight."

Lexie cringed, remembering how she had meant to get to that. "That's right; that was tonight. How did it go?"

"I killed the patient! I killed a man, and when I came home I wanted to talk to my best friend about it!" George yelled.

Lexie felt guilty then, but the idea of him being her best friend was laughable given the amount of time they spent together these days. "I am sorry, George. I _am_ sorry, but I am not your best friend. I never was. You used me as a substitute after your relationship with Izzie Stevens exploded, but I was never your best friend, and you were never mine." Lexie paused and thought of all the late night conversations she had had with Mark, conversations which were probably now lost to her. "I have a best friend; believe me, our relationship is utterly different than yours and mine." Lexie didn't want to hurt George's feelings, but he needed to know the truth.

George shook his head. "I don't even recognize you anymore."

Lexie bit her lip and then said, "That's not my fault."

"I am leaving Seattle," George said. "I am leaving the program. It is obvious I am not cut out for surgery. I have been offered a chance to join a practice in Walla Walla and I am going to take it."

Lexie ignored her guilt, and nodded. "Maybe that's best."

"So that's it?" He said, his voice sounding plaintive.

Lexie wanted to offer him comfort, but she had none to give. "Yeah," She said. "That's it."

She then went into her room, and closed the door. Lying across her bed, she tired to block out all her thoughts. She tried not to think about the fact that she had to be at the hospital in an hour. She tried not to think about George, and how she had just effectively ended their friendship. But mostly, she tried not to think about Mark. She tried not to think about him and about her deepest fear. That, when given the choice, he wouldn't choose her.

***

Mark thought that the next day must surely count as one of the worst of his life. He kept replaying the previous night over and over in his mind. He kept seeing Lexie's tortured expression again and again, and the way she had looked at him with absolute certainty in her eyes when she had kissed him. He knew that Lexie believed in something that simply did not exist inside of him. To her, he was a good man with a checkered past. Mark believed that she simply couldn't see how rotten he was to the very core. It was better this way, she had to see that. These past couple of weeks had been a dream. A beautiful, unyielding, tortuous dream, but like all dreams, it ended.

"There you are."

Mark turned to see Carolyn Shepherd standing there. Her bags were sitting in the waiting area, and she was dressed in casual clothes. She came and joined him as he leaned against the counter.

"You're leaving?" Mark asked, his voice conveying his disappointment. "I thought this might be a longer visit."

Carolyn shook her head. "I finished what I came here to do."

"You inspected Meredith," Mark said, with a nod.

"No," Carolyn said, shaking her head with a smile. "I made sure my boys are doing okay."

Mark smiled, surprised at her answer. "Thanks, Mom," he said.

Carolyn nodded. She then paused, as if in thought, and then said, "Mark, there is a question I want to ask you."

"Shoot."

"Are you involved with Lexie Grey?" Carolyn's kind eyes stared calmly into his own.

Mark debated what to say, but then settled on the truth. "Yes."

Carolyn nodded. "And how long has this been going on?"

"A month," Mark said. Sorrow and regret laced his words. "I tried to stay away from her, I really did. But then in the end it was _her_ who couldn't stay away from me. _Me_! She wanted me," Mark said, shaking his head as if her still couldn't believe it. "And she didn't see me the way most people do. She saw something more."

Carolyn reached out and squeezed his hand. "Of course she did."

Mark swallowed when he thought of the previous night. "But Derek made his feelings clear. I had thought…I had thought that if Derek knew what was really going on, that this wasn't just a fling, that he would…" Mark trailed off.

"Derek sees what he wants to see, Mark," Carolyn said. "I love my son, but he can be a little pig-headed at times."

"A little?" Mark asked with a grin.

"Okay, a lot pig-headed," Carolyn conceded. "Does he know how you feel about Lexie?"

"No," Mark said. "No one does. Well, except for this annoying intern Sadie."

"Ah, yes, the one with the charming nicknames," Carolyn said with a laugh. She then grew serious. "Why haven't you told him?"

"I was going to," Mark said. "In the beginning, I didn't want him to know that I had let him down. And then, well, I liked having Lexie all to myself. I made a million excuses in my head about reasons why I couldn't tell him, each one more unsubstantial than the last. But the real reason was because of last night. Because I didn't want him to force me to face the truth about myself."

"And what truth is that?" Carolyn asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"That I didn't deserve someone like Lexie," Mark said. "That in the end I would only hurt her. That she is better off without me wrecking everything for her."

"Oh, Mark," Carolyn murmured.

"I had to face that truth last night," Mark said.

"Stop talking," Carolyn said. "You need to listen to me, Mark. What I am about to say is incredibly important and you need to not only listen to it, but to hear it as well. Derek is wrong about you. Do you hear me? He is wrong. He is coming from a place of trying to be a protective brother and good boyfriend all at once. He is too close to the situation to understand it fully."

"You mean because of Addison?" Mark asked.

"No, I don't think so," Carolyn said. "I think this is because of Meredith. Derek knows that one day she will want to have a real relationship with her sister, and he doesn't want anything to happen to jeopardize that. Derek is too close to see all the ways that this is different. And it _is_ different, Mark. I could see it almost instantly. She is good for you in a way that you need. She is sweet and kind, and I think you compliment each other well. And you are good for her. She glows when she looks at you. But more important than anything else, Mark, is this: have you ever felt this way before?"

"No," Mark said, his voice raspy with emotion.

"Then that is all that matters. However you feel, whatever you feel, is it worth giving up because Derek has a sense of misplaced over-protective instincts?"

Mark looked at Carolyn. "I don't know. I have been going over and over it this morning and all last night. I don't know how to do this. I don't know how to even attempt to return to the way my life was before her. But Derek…he forgave me when he had the right to hate me forever. I owe him something for that, don't I?"

"You don't owe him your chance at happiness, Mark," Carolyn said gently. "You don't owe him that."

Mark blinked back the moisture in his eyes.

"How do you feel about her?"

"I love her," Mark whispered. "So much. I know this is only the beginning of a relationship, but I can't even imagine not seeing her everyday, and being with her all the time. We were going to move in together, did you know that?"

Carolyn shook her head.

"And when I asked her, I wasn't even afraid at all. Before Lexie, whenever I allowed myself to contemplate turning into a one-woman man, I always thought that I would have to be forced into it, kicking and screaming. But with Lexie, I was completely at ease. The only thing I was afraid about was that she would say no. But she didn't." Mark said that last part as if he was talking to himself.

Carolyn blinked back the tears that had gathered in her own eyes. "This is what I always wanted for you, you know that, right?"

Mark looked at her with guilt. "Even when I destroyed Derek's marriage?"

"Always, Mark," Carolyn said. "You can't give this up. Not something this rare, this precious. I knew I liked Lexie before, but I think I love her now."

"Why?" Mark asked.

"Because she sees you," Carolyn said.

Mark looked away, embarrassed.

"I'll talk to Derek, if you want," Carolyn offered.

Mark hesitated, and then said, "No." He had made his decision. "No, I need to do it myself. This has nothing to do with him, and I won't let him dictate my life. When the time is right, I will tell him the truth and leave the rest up to him. I think Lexie is worth taking that risk for."

Carolyn smiled. "Okay, I guess my work here is done."

Mark laughed. "I had forgotten how you could solve problems with nothing more than a friendly ear and some good advice."

"I am just glad you have found someone," Carolyn said.

"You're not the only one," Mark replied.

"But," Carolyn said, waging her finger at him. "If you hurt her, or act like a foolish man, I will come out here again and put you over my knee and give you a good spanking. And don't think I am too old to do it."

Mark grinned, "I would never think that."

"Nice to see some of that Mark Sloan charm resurface," Carolyn said with a chuckle. "Okay, lesson and lecture over. Give me a hug." Carolyn enfolded him in her arms and kissed the side of his face. "Next time I see you, I want you to bring that gorgeous girl along…as your girlfriend."

Mark laughed. "I might be able to do you one better."

Carolyn winked at him, and then walked over to the waiting area to get her bags. Mark waited until she was gone, and then he headed straight for the surgical floor on call rooms.

After checking three, he found Lexie curled up, but not asleep, in the fourth one.

He walked in, his eyes never leaving hers. He closed the door, and then sat down on the bed. His eyes conveyed all the love he felt as he whispered, "You, I choose you."

Lexie began to cry, and he took her in his arms. "It will always be you, Lex."

She raised her tear drenched eyes to his, and whispered, "Always."

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**Please Review, you guys give me inspiration!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hello, all! Here is your second update of the night, please enjoy! Also, be sure to check out Lattelady's wonderful story ****_The Demise Of The Dirty Mistresses Club_!**

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Two days later, Mark Sloan was in the attending's lounge pulling on his boots. He was hurrying, and probably would have made the process go faster if he didn't keep looking at his watch. When the door to the lounge opened, Mark looked up, only to quickly duck his head again.

"Hey," Derek said, coming in the door, and walking over the pot of stale coffee on the sideboard.

Mark grunted in greeting, pulling on his other boot.

"I haven't seen you since Mom left," Derek commented. "You been busy?"

"Yeah," Mark answered, standing and shrugging on his jacket.

"With what?" Derek asked, leaning against the counter.

"Look, Derek," Mark said dryly. "I'd love to stay and chat, oh wait, no I wouldn't." He then zipped up his jacket.

"What's with you?" Derek asked.

Mark shook his head. "You always do this."

"Do what?"

"Pretend that nothing happened when we have a fight," Mark said, patting his pockets to make sure he had his keys. "The only time I have ever seen you show any emotion was when you…"

"Caught you with my wife?" Derek asked, humor in his voice.

"Yeah, that," Mark muttered. His cell phone vibrated, and Mark pulled it out to check it. It had a text message from Lexie: _Almost ready?_ Mark quickly texted her back in the affirmative, and began to leave. "Gotta go."

"Where are you going?" Derek asked. "I thought we could go to the Emerald City Bar."

"I don't have time to go to Joe's, Derek," Mark said. "I am busy."

"Doing what?"

"Jesus, what are you, my mother?" Mark snapped. "I am moving, alright?"

"What? Back to New York?" Derek looked surprised, and was no longer leaning against the counter.

"No, into an apartment," Mark said, trying to ignore that part of him that wanted to include Derek.

"I get off in an hour," Derek said. "I can help you move."

"I don't need your help," Mark said shortly. "I'm fine." He then walked over to the door, and opened it.

"Mark," Derek called. "Come on, I am sure you could use an extra pair of arms. Where are you even moving to?"

Mark shook his head. "No, you don't get to do this. You don't get to be my friend and my keeper. Since you are so involved in what I can and cannot do, why don't you make a list for me," Mark said, bitterness in his voice. "I am sure that will clear a lot of things up for me."

"Come on, Mark," Derek said. "That's not fair."

"Life rarely is, Derek." Mark then turned and left the room. There was a deep regret in all that he could not share with his best friend, and Mark wished that things were different. But at the same time, he had no desire to sit through his friend's deep disapproval. He didn't want Derek to tarnish what he had with Lexie. As he rode in the elevator to the lobby, Mark wondered if this was how it was going to be. Would Derek miss all of these important moments because of his disapproval over Lexie? Mark thought he might as well tell Derek and be done with it. But it wasn't that simple. He remembered the previous night when he had this very conversation with Lexie.

***

They had been in her apartment, packing up her clothes. Mark had been looking around the living room, with distaste on his face. "Please tell me we don't have to take any of this stuff."

Lexie stood in the doorway. "We don't have to take any of this stuff."

"Good, cause it might bring bad mojo to the new apartment."

Lexie laughed. "What is it? Not a fan of the crapartment?"

Mark shuddered. "Is that what you call this place? I wonder why."

"Ha ha," Lexie rejoined. "Be nice to the apartment, or beware of pissing off the one who gives you sex."

Mark grinned. "Oh, I know how to butter her up."

Lexie walked slowly towards him, "Really?"

"Uh-huh," Mark said, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I just do a little of this," he kissed her neck, "and a little of that," then her ear.

"Hmm, you can be persuasive," Lexie said. "Okay, you can mock the apartment all you want."

"I'd rather burn it down," Mark muttered.

"What?"

"What?"

Lexie rolled her eyes. "You are such a baby."

"Why? A guy can't be annoyed that his hot girlfriend lived with some other shmuck first?" Mark shook his head.

Lexie laughed. "First of all, I did not _live_ with George, not in that way. And second of all, I would say you won."

"Hmm," Mark said, rubbing his hand over his beard. "Got the girl, getting the girl to move in with me, still a hot Plastic Surgeon. Yep, I won alright," Mark said with a grin.

Lexie rolled her eyes. "Poor George. In a pissing contest he doesn't even know about."

"No contest," Mark said. "I won."

Lexie laughed, but then quit as she looked around the apartment. "It would have been nice if he had said goodbye."

"Do you miss him?" Mark asked gruffly, trying to push down his jealousy.

Lexie shook her head. "Is that wrong?"

"He was your friend," Mark said cautiously.

"I don't know if that's true. And if it is, it hasn't been true for a long time." Tears gathered in her eyes.

Mark pulled her close to him again. "It will be alright, Lex."

Lexie looked up at him in a way that caused his breath to catch. "I know."

"So about work…" Mark began, not wanting to depress her. "I thought that we should go into the Chief tomorrow and tell him our plan."

"You make it sound so dirty," Lexie murmured. "'Our plan.' Like we are plotting to have sex in every room of the hospital."

"Now that would be a goal," Mark said, chuckling into her hair.

"Not a suggestion, Dr. Sloan."

"Whatever you say, Little Grey."

Lexie laughed.

"So do you want to do it?" Mark asked.

"Mark! I was only kidding!"

Mark laughed. "Not that, tell the Chief." Mark had to support his hands on his knees he was laughing so hard.

Lexie turned bright crimson. "Oh, um, I dunno. Do we have to tell him?"

Mark, still laughing, said, "Why wouldn't you want to tell him? It's not like there is any reason to hide things now."

"Well, maybe…" Lexie said, biting her lip. "It is his hospital and he does deserve to know, but I don't really want to be part of the hospital rumor mill. I mean, once everyone knows it will be analyzed and dissected and then people will start taking bets on when we are going to break up."

Mark rubbed her arms. "Come on, that's not true."

"No," Lexie agreed. "It's much more likely they will take bets on how long before we are caught having sex in the on call room."

He smiled. "Oh, come on Little Grey. Where is your sense of adventure?"

"I am all out of it just now," Lexie replied. "Is there any way we can tell the Chief and ask him to keep it to himself?"

"You want me to ask the Chief of Surgery to lie for us?" Mark sputtered.

Lexie wrapped her arms around his neck, and gave him the big doe eyes, "Please?"

"Yeah, okay," Mark said, caving right away.

"Good," Lexie replied. She then looked around and said, "I think I have finished packing."

"Finally," Mark groaned. "Can we get out of here now, before I catch an infection?"

Lexie shook her head. "Men are such babies."

Mark grabbed all her suitcases, slung her bags over his shoulders, and picked up two boxes, "You were saying?"

Lexie grinned, "I was saying how lucky I am to have a big strong boyfriend to carry things for me, and who lets me drive his expensive sports car."

"Nice try," Mark said, walking out the door and down towards the car.

Lexie had then grabbed her purse and locked the door behind her, closing one chapter of her life.

***

Mark smiled to himself as he got off the elevator. He could hardly believe that he was in this spot. If you had told him two months ago that he would fall in love with the younger sister of Meredith Grey and be moving in with her, Mark would have recommended upping your medication. But here he was. When Mark saw Lexie across the lobby, he smiled. She was so amazing, and she had proven that when they had gone in to tell the Chief earlier that day.

***

"Richard will see you now," Patricia said, ushering them into the office. Mark had placed his hand on the small of Lexie's back, but dropped it when he saw the curious look in Patricia's eyes.

"Ah, Dr. Sloan, Dr. Grey," Richard said as they came into his office. Mark closed the door behind them. "What can I do for you two today? Do you need a consult on that burn victim you are treating?"

"Uh, no, Chief," Mark said, sitting down in one of the chairs in front of Richard's desk. Lexie followed suit.

"Then what is this about?" Richard asked, speculation on his face.

Mark suddenly felt as though he was in the principal's office. He cleared his throat, "Well, Dr. Grey and I came here today to tell you that…"

"Yes?"

"Um, we're sort of involved," Mark said, finishing awkwardly.

"Good Lord," Richard said, rolling his eyes. "Dr. Sloan, is there any way you could restrict your bedtime activities to outside this hospital?" He then sighed. "I better call Patricia; you'll need to fill out another form."

Mark had sputtered, but Lexie had squeezed his hand. "That's what we want to talk to you about, Chief," Lexie said, cutting in. "You see, Mark and I would appreciate it if this could remain between us."

"You would appreciate…" The Chief trailed off. "And why would I do that?"

"Because we are not hurting anyone with this relationship, but if others were to know about it, it could damage both our careers."

Mark looked at her like she had grown two heads, but Lexie seemed calm.

"How so?" Richard asked.

"Well," Lexie said, "If this were to become common knowledge, I believe that I would be treated differently by the staff and my fellow interns. There would be a lot of jealousy and I think that certain people would assume that I am working Plastics so often because I have a special relationship with the attending."

Richard tapped his fingers together. "Go on."

"Mark and I have been seriously dating for a month," Lexie said, causing Richard to look back and forth between them in surprise. "And I think you would agree that we have kept it out of the hospital and remained professional at all times."

Richard nodded.

"So there is no reason to suppose that we would act any differently now that you know. Please understand, Dr. Webber, I am very interested in a career as a Plastic Surgeon, and I want to learn from the best. I don't see any reason why I can't learn from Dr. Sloan simply because we are in a serious relationship."

Richard and Mark looked dumbfounded. Finally, Richard said, "Exactly how serious is this relationship?"

Mark then found his voice, "We are moving in together, sir."

The Chief looked contemplative. "Alright, you will have my secrecy."

Lexie and Mark smiled at each other.

"But," the Chief said, holding up a finger, "At any time that I feel your personal relationship is compromising the care of my hospital, I will not cease to make sure you never see a Plastics rotation again, is that clear Dr. Grey? And," he said, getting on a roll, "I want you to be on other rotations from time to time, Dr. Grey. I meant what I said about not wanting residents and interns to specialize."

Lexie nodded. "Of course. Thank you, Dr. Webber, for your understanding."

Richard nodded. "Get back to work now."

When Mark and Lexie left his office, Mark pulled Lexie into the empty conference room across the hall. "You were amazing," he said.

"It is all in the tone of voice," Lexie said primly.

"Is it totally wrong that I am turned on right now?" Mark asked.

Lexie smiled. "Not at all. We can continue this later, Dr. Sloan."

Mark groaned. "This is going to be a long day."

***

Puling out of his reverie, Mark walked across the lobby to Lexie's side. "Are you ready to go home, Dr. Grey?" He asked her, as they left the hospital together.

"I am ready, Dr. Sloan," Lexie said.

When she saw that there was no one else in the parking lot, she took his hand.

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Please take the time to review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey everybody, sorry for the late update, I had a crazy busy day. I hope everyone is still liking the story, and please feel free to give any suggestions in the reviews. Thanks, and happy reading!**

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After a short drive, Mark and Lexie arrived at the high-rise apartments that housed their new home. Mark parked his Porsche in the underground parking structure and they took the elevator for residents to the nineteenth floor. Lexie could hardly contain her excitement at seeing, for the first time, the place that was to be her new home. Mark had been utterly mysterious when she had asked him what the new apartment looked like. All he would say was that it was a "Lexie Apartment", whatever that meant.

When the elevator arrived on the floor, Mark led Lexie down a brightly lit hallway which had plush carpeting on the floor, as well as sconces on the wall. There were very few doors, causing Lexie to suspect that this would be a big apartment which he was leading her to.

As they approached the door, Mark commented, "Why don't you do the honors?

Lexie smiled at him and pulled out her key. When she had unlocked the door, she quickly typed in the code on the keypad. One of the benefits of an eidetic memory was that she remembered what it was without ever looking more than once at the note which Mark had given her.

Once the alarm was disabled, Lexie stepped into the apartment and Mark flipped on the light. She almost had to catch her breath. The apartment was large, with windows taking up the whole back wall. There was a large kitchen to her right, behind a set of double doors, with state of the art appliances, and double doors on either side of the living room.

"The right side leads to a large office and library," Mark explained, "And those doors over there lead to our bedroom."

Lexie was entranced, but not with the apartment itself, with the _feel_ of it. Mark had been right. This _was_ a "Lexie Apartment." The walls were painted a soft peach color, and the kitchen had rose colored granite. When she walked over to the bedroom, she discovered a wrought iron balcony and a marble bathroom with both a large shower and a Jacuzzi tub. There was little in the way of furniture, but what there was would have been exactly what Lexie would have picked out if she had all the choices in the world. In their bedroom was a sleigh bed which Lexie suspected was a higher end version of the one she had been admiring in her Restoration Hardware catalog. There was also a plush sofa with big fat pillows in the living room along with a chaise lounge. Lexie realized that when Mark had said "Lexie Apartment," what he meant was that this was an apartment for her.

Standing in the middle of the large bedroom, Lexie turned to Mark who was hovering in the doorway. "Why did you do this?" Lexie asked.

Mark frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…it's perfect."

Mark breathed a sigh of relief.

"This is just what I would have chosen." She looked at him with confusion in her eyes. "But is it what you want?"

Mark smiled softly at her. "I want you, Lex. The rest of it doesn't matter to me. I want you to be as happy here as possible."

Lexie smiled widely. She then tugged him away from the doorframe, and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Thank you, for everything. I couldn't adore it more," She said with a smile.

"Don't get too attached to it," Mark warned.

"Why?" Lexie asked.

"Cause we are only going to live here for a few months until our other apartment is finished."

Lexie sighed. "I should have known it was too good to be true. Is our other apartment smaller?"

Mark smirked. "Not exactly."

"It's bigger?" Lexie asked, finding that idea to be impossible.

"Yep," Mark said, kissing her upturned face. "I would say so."

"Mark," Lexie said, turning her face so he couldn't distract her. "Where are we moving to?"

"The penthouse."

"The penthouse," Lexie repeated. "We are moving into a penthouse?"

"Mmhmm, once it's done of course."

"Mark," Lexie said, "I can't afford a penthouse. I probably can't afford _this_ apartment."

Mark laughed. "Lexie, I make millions of dollars a year. There is no way we are splitting the rent like roommates. Besides, I have bought both apartments outright."

"You have… I think I need to sit down," Lexie murmured, walking over to the bed and sitting down heavily. She tried to ignore how nice the bed felt.

Mark came over and sat next to her, taking her hand. "Look, I know you like being independent, but this isn't something we are going to argue about. I have money, and you are an intern who doesn't make much. No contest, I win. There are other ways that you can contribute."

Lexie looked at him. "I don't want you taking care of me. There has to be an equal balance in this relationship or…" She trailed off.

Mark looked at her like she was crazy. "Lexie, if it wasn't for you there wouldn't even be a relationship. I would still be at the Archfield with random women, and lonely but never being able to pinpoint what I was missing. You came into my life like a hurricane, Little Grey. Believe me, I was never happy that I was at Seattle Grace until that day you came to my hotel room. I am not good at this relationship stuff, I know that. But me paying for this apartment doesn't define us, not even a little bit."

Mark kissed the side of her face. "So I am taking care of you now, so what? In a few years when you are an equally famous plastic surgeon, you can buy our next house, or a vacation home somewhere." Mark grinned. "Understand of course, that I will always be the superior surgeon and you will owe all your success to my excellent tutelage."

Lexie laughed, but then sobered when she realized what he had said. "Our next house? You…you see a future for us?"

Mark nodded. "I can see a forever for us."

"Forever," Lexie whispered. "I like that." She then kissed him, and he happily went along. Lexie knew he had won this battle, but he wouldn't win them all. She couldn't care less about that now; all she cared about at this very moment was christening their brand new home.

***

Some time later, when they were finally able to move again, Lexie had ordered Chinese food and a bottle of wine. Thirty minutes later, they were sitting on the floor of their kitchen with food spread out in front of them like a blanket. Lexie was wearing Mark's button-down and he was in his boxers and pants.

"Oh, yum," Lexie said as she bit into her sweet and sour pork. "This will cost me a trip to the gym."

Mark laughed. "Like you need it. I have never seen anyone so tiny consume so much and not gain a pound. Must be in the Grey genes."

Lexie smiled. "No, I got that from…" She trailed off.

"From whom?" Mark asked.

She sighed. "My mother."

"Are you doing okay? We never really had a chance to talk about how your Christmas was without her." Mark had no idea how to be a supportive boyfriend, but he was sure as hell willing to try.

"It was miserable," Lexie said. "My dad was drunk the whole time, and Molly was trying to pretend that nothing was going on."

"I am sorry, Lex," Mark said.

She offered him a too-bright smile. "It's fine, the first one without her was bound to be hard."

"Yeah," Mark said, thinking of all the Christmases that he had spent without his parents while they were away on vacation or working. Pushing those thoughts away, Mark commented, "You know, we are going to have to go to personnel and change our addresses."

Lexie grinned ruefully at him. "I had thought about that. I think I might just leave it at my old address for a while. I'll change it later, once we have been officially outed."

Mark laughed. "Fine." As he took a bite of his egg roll, his phone rang. Checking the caller ID, Mark frowned, "It's Callie. Hold on," Mark said to Lexie.

"Hello?"

"Sloan!" Callie said. "Where are you? I thought we were meeting at Joe's!"

"Huh?" Mark said. "When did we say that?"

"This morning. When I was talking to you as we scrubbed in on the burn victim who fell down the stairs."

"Oh, sorry," Mark said, taking a bite of rice. "I must not have been paying attention. I am kind of busy right now."

"Oh come on, what could you possibly be doing now that is that important?"

"Callie," Mark said impatiently. "I can't tonight."

"But I need to talk about the hot intern," Callie whined.

Mark laughed. "Stay away from her. The ones without appendixes are trouble. I'll talk to you later." He was still grinning when he hung up the phone.

"So her and Sadie, huh?" Lexie asked. "That makes no sense, and yet it does."

"I know, right?" Mark said with a laugh.

"Did you want to go to Joe's?" Lexie asked, her eyes troubled. She didn't want to take him away from his friends.

"No," Mark replied, scooting over so he was sitting next to her. "I want to spend time with my hot intern, not talking about hers."

Lexie rolled her eyes. She opened her mouth to reply, when her pager went off. Her purse was sitting on the counter, and Lexie went to check it. She called in, and spoke briefly to the person on the other end. "Damn it," She said. "It was the Chief. He wants me to come in. There seems to be a flu going around and a shortage of interns. He wants me to cover the end of Graziella's shift. I would be out around eleven."

Mark stood as well. "He's testing us," Mark said.

"Yeah," Lexie said in frustration. "I better go."

"Okay," Mark said, trying to hide his annoyance at the Chief's intrusion on their evening.

"Why don't you go meet Callie?" Lexie asked. "You can hang out, you could even call Derek."

Mark clenched his jaw. "I'll go see Callie, but I have no desire to see Shepherd."

Lexie said nothing, not wanting to get in the middle of their fight.

"I'm gonna need my shirt back," Mark said, with a wicked grin on his face.

"Well, you are just going to have to take it off my back," Lexie said with a wicked grin of her own.

"God, I love it when you talk like that," Mark said.

Lexie laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You are so easy," Lexie murmured.

"Not anymore," Mark whispered. "You have reformed me, Lexie Grey." He kissed her gently, cupping her face in his hands.

"I did nothing of the sort, Mark Sloan." She placed butterfly kisses on his closed eyelids. "You simply became the man that I could always see in you."

Mark groaned, and pulled her closer to him, his hands slipping under his shirt to cup her naked bottom. "Don't go to work; stay here with me where it's warm."

"I'll be back soon," Lexie said. "Besides, look on the bright side. You get a chance to see your friends this way."

"You are the only friend I care about seeing tonight," Mark said, nipping at the tender skin of her neck.

"Well, try to pretend you care about Callie's problems," Lexie said, smothering a laugh. "Just don't be too supportive." She wiggled her eyebrows at him.

Mark smirked. "Are you jealous, Little Grey?"

"Of another woman getting to spend time with you? Absolutely. You're all I think about, Mark. I don't want to share you, even though I know I can't keep you all to myself."

Her words were laced with humor, but Mark sensed the seriousness behind her words. He felt something akin to joy at that moment. He tried to keep his next words as light as possible, though all he wanted to do was crush her to him and never let go. "I am all you think about?"

Lexie looked at him, her brown eyes full of something that looked like love. "You're all I _ever_ think about. I can hardly remember what my life was like before you," Lexie said, blushing at the significance of her words. "I think…I think that the idea of being without you no longer makes sense to me."

"I know what you mean," Mark rasped. "You're all I think about too, Little Grey. The last thing at night and the first thing in the morning. Being without you…hurts, like I never could have imagined. I know I don't always say it, and I know I can't always show it, but you are the single most important thing in my life, Lexie."

Lexie smiled softly, and blinked back her tears. "Just as you are the single most important thing in mine."

Mark wanted to tell her that he loved her, but something held him back. When he finally said it, he wanted it to be perfect, not in a kitchen, half-naked and surrounded by used Chinese food containers. So he kissed her instead, and savored the feeling of her in his arms.

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**A/N: Please Review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Have you ever heard authors talk about the characters taking over a scene, and think that they were totally crazy? If so, you can now add me to that list of crazy authors. I totally meant to do this differently, but Lexie and Mark took over. You'll see what I mean.**

**And in response to a reviewer who wanted more Izzie and Alex, I have to apologize. They will continue to get mentions, but it would be totally hard to put them in this story without making them the center of it. There is just so much going on with the two of them that it would be hard to do. Izzie will pop up for a scene later with Lexie, but I don't think Alex will. Sorry! Sometimes, no matter how much you love a character, it is nearly impossible to include them. But please continue to read!**

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"Sloan!" Callie yelled when she saw Mark enter Joe's.

Mark slowly made his way across the crowded bar to where Callie was sitting.

"You came!" She exclaimed happily. "I thought you were busy."

"For you, Callie? I became un-busy." Mark grinned at her as he sat down at the booth she had snagged. "So what's up? You sounded…different on the phone."

"I need to talk about hot interns," Callie said, taking a gulp of her beer.

Mark sighed, this was going to be a long night. He flagged down a cocktail waitress and ordered a scotch, single malt of course. "So hot interns in general?" He asked once his drink had come, "Or hot interns in a specific sense?"

"In general," Callie said. "I have a hypothetical supposition to present to you."

"O-kay," Mark said, drawing out the word.

"Say that there was this certain doctor who was having a fling with an intern…"

He rolled his eyes, "Strictly hypothetical, of course."

"Of course," Callie said. She pushed her heavy hair out of her face, and continued, "Now this doctor thinks that no one knows about this fling, but then someone finds out. What should this doctor do?"

"Well," Mark said. "The doctor should come clean. There are worst things that sleeping with an intern, Callie."

"I know there are," she said. "But I just wanted to let you know that I know."

Mark froze, his glass halfway to his mouth. "What did you say?"

"Feel like coming clean, Mark?" Callie asked, looking at him calmly.

***

"100, 101, 102," Lexie mumbled to herself as she counted the stairs from the basement to the surgical floor. Her evening had been miserable so far. Once she had gotten to the hospital, Christina had immediately started sending her on errands. It quickly became clear to her that she was not getting on an actual case tonight; instead the Chief was trying to make a point. She was an intern, and no matter how much time she spent in Mark's OR, she better not forget that.

Lexie supposed that this was one of the reasons that she hadn't wanted people to know about her and Mark. There was something about Lexie that made people try to protect her and teach her lessons. It was as if when they saw her big brown eyes that they thought they had a responsibility to protect whatever it was that seemed innocent about her. There was no way to avoid it, Lexie would always be the little sister of Meredith Grey who cried over puppies, was bright and shiny, and never made a wrong step.

If they only knew.

If they only knew the things she let a certain doctor do to her in the dark of night, and the things she did to him. If they only knew that she was in a serious relationship with Mark Sloan, the one they said could not be tamed. If they only knew how she felt about him, the deep and dark and twisty way she became at the thought of being separated from him.

They wouldn't believe it.

When Lexie exited the stairwell, she came face to face with Derek. "Dr. Shepherd," she squeaked. "I thought you got off earlier."

He nodded. "I did, but I got caught up in work and I ended up never leaving. I was just heading out now. What time are you on 'til?"

Lexie checked her watch. "Three more hours, and then I can go home. I am just covering someone else's shift."

Derek nodded again. He seemed to do that a lot. "You should come over to Meredith's after your shift. There is no need for you to go home to that empty apartment. I am sure you miss having company now that George is gone."

"No," Lexie said, "I am fine."

"Come on, Lexie," Derek said with a chuckle. "You have to admit that you apartment is pretty miserable."

"Why does everyone say that?" Lexie muttered to herself. She looked at Derek then, "Well, don't worry about me. I moved out of that apartment." Lexie immediately bit her lip. Why had she said anything?

"Really?" Derek asked in surprise. "Where to?"

"Umm, in with a friend," Lexie said. "Sorry Dr. Shepherd, but I really have to go."

"Sure," Derek said.

Lexie hesitated, but then said, "I think I saw Dr. Torres and Dr. Sloan at Joe's. Are you going to join them?"

Derek looked surprised, "Maybe," he said. "Thanks Lexie."

"Sure," Lexie said, unaware of the trouble she had just caused. Little did she know that there was a troubled neurosurgeon headed over to the Emerald City Bar to give another surgeon a piece of his mind.

***

Callie looked at Mark steadily.

"I don't know what to say," Mark muttered.

"How bout you start by telling me how long you have been sleeping with Lexie Grey," Callie suggested, taking a delicate sip of her beer.

"A month," Mark said, finishing his scotch.

Callie started coughing on her beer, and Mark whacked her on the back. "A month? This has been going on for a whole month and you never told me?"

"It's complicated," Mark said.

"What about the Derm Nurse?"

Mark laughed. "There never was a Derm Nurse, Callie. I have never even met her."

Callie looked shocked. "So all this time it has been Grey…just Grey?"

He nodded. "Just her."

"My God, Mark, this is huge."

"Yeah," he said, "There's more."

"How much more?" Callie asked.

"We moved in together tonight."

"There is not enough alcohol in the world for this," Callie said, her eyes bugging out of her head.

"Breathe, Torres," Mark said.

"I am…it's just…damn, I had no idea."

Mark looked annoyed. "So what, were you taking a guess?"

"No, I knew you had slept with her for an unknown amount of time, but I didn't know you were in a relationship with her."

"How did you know?"

"I overheard the Chief telling Patricia," Callie said.

"Damn it," Mark swore. "This will be all over the hospital by tomorrow."

Callie shook her head. "No, it won't. Patricia is like a steel trap. She knows things that no one should know. It will be kept a secret with her."

"Yeah, well, we kinda want it to stay that way for the rest of the hospital," Mark said.

Callie nodded. "Yeah, I totally get why. I can hardly believe it; I wouldn't want to know how everyone else at Seattle Grey will react."

"Lexie thinks they would all start taking bets on when we would be caught having sex in the on call room."

"More like when you would be caught with someone _else_ in the on call room," Callie said.

Mark paused, and looked at her with a hurt look in his eyes. "Is that what you really think?"

Callie looked sheepish. "You don't exactly have the best track record, Mark."

"See, this is why I didn't want to tell you or anyone else." Mark felt himself getting indignant. "You judge me without even knowing what is going on. Never mind the fact that I am happier than I ever thought I could be, and never mind that I haven't been unfaithful to Lexie in anyway, and never mind that I am in love for the first time in my adult life, it all comes down to me being a man whore, doesn't it?" Mark stood and tossed money onto the table. "Un-fucking-believable."

Callie looked apologetic, but before she could say anything, Derek walked up to their table.

"Mark," Derek said, "I thought you were moving tonight?"

"I did move. Now the moving is over, hence the drinking and the leaving," Mark said, still seething.

"Jesus, what the hell is wrong with you?" Derek asked.

"What's wrong with me?" Mark parroted. "Well, maybe I am just tired of my friends underestimating me and seeing me as nothing more than an irresponsible ass who can't get his life together." He pulled on his jacket and said, "I have had enough of this shit."

"Jesus, I am beginning to wish Lexie hadn't told me where you were," Derek said.

Mark became very still. "Lexie told you I was here?"

"Yeah, she said something about seeing you and Callie earlier," Derek waved his hand, indicating he didn't want to talk about that anymore, "Look, Mark—"

Mark ignored him and left the bar, having now a new target for his anger.

***

As Lexie was sitting behind the nurse's counter, charting endlessly, she thought about the way Mark had been earlier in the evening. He was changing so much, or maybe he was just showing her the part of him that had always existed but that he rarely allowed out.

"Dr. Grey!"

Lexie looked up as the object of her affections and thoughts came to stand in front of her. "Dr. Sloan?" She responded tentatively.

"I need to speak with you. Now," he bit off every word.

Lexie scooted out from behind the counter and quickly walked over to the conference room, where Mark slammed the door behind them, and closed the blinds.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Did you tell Shepherd I was at Joe's?"

Lexie nodded.

"God damn it, Lexie," Mark snapped. "Why the hell would you do that?"

"Why are you yelling at me?" Lexie asked calmly.

"I am yelling at you because I don't need you interfering in my life. If I had wanted to see Derek, I would have called him."

"Fine!" Lexie snapped. "Excuse me for trying to help you. I won't do it in the future."

"Good!" Mark yelled. "I don't need your help. I can run my life perfectly well without your meddling."

"Why are you getting so mad about this?" Lexie yelled back, crossing her arms over her chest. "This is stupid!"

"Are you calling me stupid?" Mark asked, his nostrils flaring.

"The fight is stupid, not you, you idiot! And yes, I called you an idiot!" Lexie retorted.

"Jesus, I should have known this wasn't going to work," Mark said. "You are far too opinionated and bossy for me!"

"And you are far too much of a jerk for me!" Lexie responded. "Too bad for me that I love you anyway!" Lexie was trembling with anger, and she hadn't noticed how Mark had gotten very quiet when she said that.

Mark felt as though the world stopped spinning in that moment. His chest was heaving, and his blood was boiling, but he suddenly felt an inner sense of calm as his anger died away. He looked at Lexie who was staring at him with love and anger in her eyes, and he suddenly realized that his anger over what Callie said no longer made sense. She didn't get it; she didn't get them. Because, though Mark had just been yelling at Lexie, all he wanted to do now was let her know he loved her too.

"You love me?" He asked quietly.

"Of course I do," she snapped.

"Lexie," Mark said, "I lo—"

"No!" Lexie yelled, covering her ears. "You don't get to say it to me right now. Right now I want to be mad at you because you caused a fight for no good reason, but if you tell me that you love me I will get all melty and then my anger will disappear!"

"Melty, huh?" Mark said, chuckling.

"Don't be cute," Lexie said, "I hate it when you're cute."

"No, you don't," Mark said with a laugh of joy, "You love me!"

"Ugh!" Lexie said, making a disgusted sound.

"I am sorry for starting a fight for no good reason," Mark said.

Lexie kept her arms crossed and lifted an eyebrow, indicating that he should continue.

"And I am sorry for being an idiot."

"And?" Lexie said, tapping her foot.

"And I love you too."

"No!" Lexie yelled, covering her ears.

Mark walked over to her, laughing. "Too late for that, Little Grey. I already said it, and you already heard it. Melt away."

Lexie looked up at him with her big brown eyes, and Mark felt as though he had been kicked in the stomach. He could never have been prepared to understand how it felt to have your entire happiness depend on someone else, but now he knew.

"I can't believe we just said I love you like that," Lexie's eyes were apologetic and her voice was full of regret.

"I can't either," Mark said, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I didn't want it to come out like that."

Lexie stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. "I want a do-over."

"Okay," Mark said. "Me too."

"Do you want to…?"

"By all means," Mark said. "Ladies first."

Lexie looked at him, and when she did her eyes became the deepest darkest brown he had ever seen, and they were filled with more emotion than he could have ever believed to be possible. "Mark," She whispered, her words carefully spoken, "I love you."

"Oh Lexie," he said, his eyes filling with tears, "I love you too."

He kissed her then, and when they broke away, she whispered, "Are you crying?"

"No," Mark muttered, "A speck of dirt flew into my eye."

"Sure it did," Lexie said with a snicker. She then poked him in the chest. "Also, don't take your stupid boy anger out on me anymore. Yell at Derek if he is the one bothering you."

Mark sighed, "Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking in getting in a fight with you. Greys are irrational."

Lexie rolled her eyes. "What_ever_, you just wish that _I_ was the one being irrational."

Mark raised his eyebrows.

"Whatever," Lexie said. "Next time, just punch Derek. Maybe that will help."

"Lexie Grey," Mark said, making a tsking sound with his tongue. "Advocating violence. Shameful, just shameful."

"Ha! If you ever get into a fight with Shepherd, you will wish I am right there."

Mark grinned. "What, are you going to protect me?"

"Damn right," Lexie said. "I am scrappy."

He laughed. "I love you, Lexie Grey."

Lexie was then the one that teared up. "I love you too, Mark Sloan."

"Now comes the best part," Mark said.

"What?" Lexie asked.

"Make-up sex."

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**Review! Tis the season!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Okay, you win. The Make-up sex.**

**Also, no update tomorrow. Look for one on Christmas Eve. Later All!**

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Mark could feel Lexie grin against his neck, and he allowed himself a smile of his own. When had this happened? When had he gotten to the point where her happiness superseded his own? Telling Lexie that he loved her tonight had been a release of the purest kind, but hearing that she loved him? That had nearly destroyed any semblance of self-control that he had. He loved this woman in the purest and deepest way possible. She had found her way into not only his life and his heart, but his soul as well. Mark had never been one for romantic sentiment, but he quickly realized that that was the only way he could express the complex emotions that Lexie stirred in him. He knew that only now was not good enough. He wanted her with him for always.

For once, forever sounded like a promise instead of a curse.

He wanted to be good at this. He didn't want to mess it up. He wanted Lexie to always be as happy as she was at this moment. If only there was a way to insure that.

Mark soon became aware that Lexie was crying into his shirt. "Hey," he said, cupping her face, "What's wrong?"

Lexie shook her head, smiling. "Nothing at all. It's just…you love me."

Mark smiled quizzically. "Yes, I do."

"No one… no one has ever said that to me before when I wanted to hear it. Never someone that I loved back. And never someone that I loved back so desperately."

"No one has ever said it to me before at all," Mark confessed, wiping the tears on her face with the pads of his fingers. "This is a first for me, Lex."

"Oh, Mark," She said, grabbing his head and kissing him.

"Not here, Lex," Mark mumbled. "The things I want to do to you are not meant for a hospital."

"Please, Mark," Lexie said, taking on her jacket and pulling off her scrub top. "I can't wait." Her pants and underwear soon followed.

Mark backed her to the table, and lifted her so she was sitting on it. He quickly unbuttoned his jeans, and when he pressed against her, he swore, "God, you're soaking."

"I want you," she said, with shyness in her eyes.

Mark realized then that one of the million things he loved about Lexie was the fact that she hadn't lost any of that wide-eyed innocence. She still had it all; in fact, a little might have rubbed off on him. He was now able to believe in happily-ever-afters for the first time.

They quickly began to move against each other, and Lexie started moaning against his neck, whispering, "Closer, closer." Mark tried to make it last, but this was destined to be a quick and desperate thing. And when they finally came in a fast explosion, neither of them remembered ever being so connected before.

Mark eased Lexie down on the table, and quirked his lips.

"What?" She asked, seeing his expression.

"I have a meeting in here tomorrow," Mark said with a laugh. "Somehow I doubt I will be able to focus."

Lexie grinned. "Sorry."

"No, you're not," he said, kissing her cheek.

"No, I am really not," Lexie murmured.

"Let's go home," Mark whispered against her hair. "Are you done for the night?"

Lexie checked her watch. "Ten more minutes. I think the chief can forgive me if I leave early. Come on, Mark." Her eyes got dark as she looked at him. "Take me home."

Mark and Lexie swiftly left the conference room, observed by only two nurses who shook their heads at Dr. Sloan yelling at that nice and sweet Dr. Grey.

On the way home, Lexie and Mark said little. The rain was pouring outside their car, but neither of them noticed. The desire which had been temporarily sated in the conference room was hot and heavy between them, but they were also both thinking about the significance of what had just transpired. They had said they loved each other, and that changed everything.

When they got back to the apartment, Lexie and Mark dropped their coats and boots in the front hall, and walked slowly to the bedroom. Once there, Mark took her hand and led her over to the bed. Lexie trembled when she saw the look on Mark's face. This was beyond need, beyond reason. This was love. Lexie knew somewhere in the deep recesses of her mind that this night had started out about passion, but she couldn't remember when it had turned into more than that. She stood still and closed her eyes, as Mark slowly dragged his fingers down the opening of her shirt. Gently, he undid all the catches, button by button, with only his forefinger and middle finger. He didn't kiss her, but his hot breath blew warmly against her forehead. He placed the flat of his hand across her chest, above her breasts. His other hand joined it, and then he pushed the remaining fabric off of her arms.

He said nothing, but each action was more tender and loving than the last. He wrapped his right arm around her ribcage and undid her bra, pulling it off her gently. Instead of immediately touching her, Mark kissed the tops of her shoulders where the bra had left indentations. Lexie slid her hands into his hair, and pulled his mouth to hers. His lips slid across hers in a drugging dance, and it was only when she felt as though he had traced every curve of her lips that his tongue entered her mouth. Pressing his tongue up against her own, Lexie felt as though all her nerve endings were exploding at once. This was compounded by Mark's hand which had made the journey to her breast. As he kissed her, his thumb was circling her nipple with gentle and tender flicks.

"Mark," Lexie cried against his mouth. "I want to feel you too."

He stopped his torment, and Lexie used the opportunity to gently drag the hem of his t-shirt up over his head. As she did, her hands spread across his chest running trough the springy hairs she encountered. And when she began to touch him the way he had her, Mark pulled her flush against him kissing her again.

His hands moved down to the button of her jeans as she kissed him, and soon she was shimming out of them, clad only in her lace underwear. He then lifted her in his arms, settling their bodies at just the right angle so that when she wrapped her legs around his hips, she felt his hardness against her.

"Lexie," he murmured against her lips. "How do you do this to me?" His voice was filled with as much wonder as he had that first night they were together. And as he settled her on the bed, Lexie realized she felt the same way. This was just as fresh for her as it was for him. They must have been together fifty times at least by now, and yet every touch seemed to be one of exploration, every kiss seemed to be meant to learn, and every moment felt better than the previous. Lexie wondered if it would always be like this. If they had the power to be forever young in these moments together.

Lexie popped open the buttons on his pants, and helped him rid himself of them. Mark tossed them behind him, and settled back on top of Lexie. Their underwear was the only barrier now, and Lexie soon discovered that two scraps of fabric did nothing to deter Mark.

His lips found hers again, as he then kissed his way down her body and settled at her right breast where he teased and tormented the hard bud with eager flicks of his tongue. Mark repeated the torment on her other breast, while his hand slipped down under the lace of her panties. His fingers found her hot and ready flesh, and he began to stroke her with lazy touches of his fingers. Lexie began to toss her head as he touched her, unable to reach that peak without him inside her. As she felt herself fill with desire, Lexie reached into his boxers and cupped his hard length. She stroked it slowly, only stopping when she heard his answering groan.

"Please, Mark, I need you," She said, her eyes dark with desire.

Mark pulled his boxers off, and her panties followed. He then settled against her hot flesh and touched her very center as he began to move forward. With a gentle thrust, he was taken in up to the hilt, and he groaned as he felt her tight heat close around him. Mark looked down and cupped her face in his hands, as he began to move against her. There was no technique, no practiced moves. All that flew out the door when he was with Lexie. Mark could hardly understand it, but when he was with her, he couldn't think at all. There was no way he could remember all the moves he had used over the years. They were simply not necessary with Lexie. With other women it was an itch, with Lexie it was a need. And when they came together, their bodies reacted in the most elemental way possible.

Lexie was panting now, and Mark felt his hard won control slipping away. He thrust into her again and again, trying to angle just the way that she liked. And when she came, her eyes were squeezed shut, and she let out the sexiest scream he had ever heard. He soon followed her with a moan and a shudder, as he let the waves take him.

Mark collapsed on top of her, and stayed like that for a long time. He moved to his side later, pulling her with him as he did. Mark stroked her back as he stared at the ceiling of their home, and he wondered how this wonderful chance had been given to someone like him. When he felt the chill in the air, he began to move to pull the blankets over them.

"No, don't," Lexie murmured, when she felt Mark shift.

"Relax, Little Grey," he said as he kissed her forehead, "I am just covering us up." He reached down and pulled up the comforter which had pooled around their feet. As soon as it was wrapped around them, Mark pulled Lexie back into his arms.

"I like it when you hold me like this," Lexie whispered.

Mark smiled against her hair. She was sprawled in his arms, one leg over his hips and her upper body tucked up against his side, half on him and half off. "You just like using me as your pillow."

"True," Lexie said. "But there is something about you which feels safe, Mark. It makes it nice to lie in your arms."

"And here I thought I was so intimidating," he said. Their voices were hushed, as if in deference to the rain pouring outside their window and onto the balcony.

"You were; when I first met you, oh, you were." Lexie's words were laced with humor as her head lay on his chest. "You were big bad attending Mark Sloan who ate little interns like me for breakfast."

A chuckle rumbled in his chest. "Was I really that bad?"

"Was? Babe, I hate to break it to you, but with the exception of me you are still scary." Lexie smiled against his skin. "But then I realized there was more."

"When?" Mark asked. "With Mrs. Patterson?"

"No," Lexie said. "I realized long before that." She shifted and moved her head so that she could look at him. "Remember that case we had when the three husbands and three wives were in separate accidents? We were treating the man who damaged his vocal cords, and he had cheated on his wife."

"I remember," Mark said.

"Well, that was when you first started joking with me, and you didn't get mad when I told you to shut up."

Mark was laughing really hard then, "Is that why?"

"No," She said, shaking her head. "You were trying to get me to tell George how I felt."

"I remember that," Mark growled.

Lexie smiled at his thunderous expression. "Well, when I asked you about what if he didn't like me back, do you remember what you said?"

Mark shook his head, his eyes meeting hers in the darkness. He could remember how impressed he had been with Lexie back then, the way she had with her patients and her knowledge of obscure medical facts and trivia he had discovered right after. But he also remembered the way she had seemed to be annoyed to be in his presence in the beginning, but that had changed…what _had _he said to her? "What did I say? Tell me," Mark requested.

"You said, 'Then he's an idiot'," Lexie confessed, her eyes shinning. "I knew then that there was more to you. Even if you were just saying that to spare my feelings, which I suspected, I was glad you were willing to do that for me. It doesn't matter why you said it, cause I am Meredith's sister, or whatever, you still said it and I knew then that there was more to you."

Mark cupped Lexie's face in his hands. "I didn't say it because I was trying to be nice to Derek's future sister-in-law; I said it because I meant every word." Mark smiled at her tenderly, "Lexie, I don't think you know just how glad I am that O'Malley was an idiot. How grateful I am to his blindness when I wake-up in the morning and find you lying next to me. He _was_ an idiot Lexie, and the thought that he might have seen you, _really_ seen you, and caused me to miss my chance makes me want to break out in a cold sweat. I don't know what I would do without you, Little Grey. I am just glad I never had to find out."

"Oh, Mark," Lexie said, her eyes filling with tears. "That was so sw—"

"Don't say sweet," Mark said, cutting her off. "I am not sweet at all."

Lexie laughed, her throat thick with emotion. "You are to me, Mark Sloan. You are to me." She then leaned up and kissed him. In no time, Mark had her pinned beneath his body as he assaulted her mouth with endless kisses which made her toes curl.

When he pulled her mouth from hers, with her still pinned under him, Mark said, "Do you know when I started seeing you differently?"

Lexie shook her head.

"When you started reciting that damned periodic table. I had never gotten hot for science before," Mark said sheepishly.

Lexie began laughing hysterically. "You are kidding me!"

Mark shook his head. "I didn't put it all together until much later, but that was when it started for me. I always thought you were beautiful and intelligent, but until that moment I didn't know just how much that appealed to me."

Lexie grinned wickedly at him. "You know, that was really only the tip of the iceberg. You wouldn't believe the things that I have learned to recite."

Mark smiled at her. "Then perhaps it is time you gave _me_ a lesson, Dr. Grey."

"By all means, Dr. Sloan," Lexie said as she began to whisper in his ear.

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**Review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**As promised, here is a chapter for you tonight. I decided to do a more emotional chappie tonight, cause I was in a romantic mood. And for those of you who think Mark is out of character, I completely disagree. There is a scared little boy in Mark Sloan and that is what I tried to capture in this chapter.**

**There will be no update tomorrow, due to the holidays. I will try for something on Friday, and I think I will be able to deliver. Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, and Happy Holidays to all the rest!**

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"It's so quiet," Lexie said as they lay there in the darkness. The rain continued to beat against their windows and the balcony, as it had for the past four hours. Lexie loved these moments the best. After her and Mark had satisfied each other, and they had no energy left, when they would just rest together. Mark would let his fingers drag up and down her spine, and she would rest her head on his chest and listen to the steady "thump thump" of his heart. Lexie felt more connected to Mark in these moments than she did in any other. He was his most vulnerable, and sometimes he would tell her what he was really thinking. In was in a moment like this that Mark had told her about his mother and father, and the loneliness that he had always felt. And it was in a moment like this that Mark had told her how he used to be afraid of the dark, and how he had only moved past that fear as an adult.

Lexie wondered if he felt as close to her.

"Yeah," Mark whispered. "Everyone is asleep." He kissed her head and yawned. "The whole city."

"Except for us," Lexie murmured.

"Except for us," Mark agreed.

Lexie snuggled even closer to him, if that was possible, and kissed his chest where she was resting her head. "I love you."

"I know," Mark said, smiling in the darkness.

"I like saying it," Lexie confessed. "There is something magical about those words, as if they can do anything."

Mark's chest rumbled in laughter. "What do you mean? You think that words have some sort of power?"

"All words have power, Mark," Lexie said matter of factly. "Don't you ever wonder why some words just crush us to our very souls?"

"No," Mark said.

"Well, I do," Lexie replied. "Why is it some words can rob us of all reason or happiness? They are just words, and yet we let them mean much more."

"What are you trying to say, Lexie?" Mark asked, brushing her hair away from her face.

"I guess I am just saying that I don't want to miss a chance to tell you how much I love you. I love you, Mark."

"I love you too," he whispered.

"As you should," Lexie said with a small smile. She was quiet for a while then, thinking about all the twists and turns that led her to this place. How much had happened for this very moment to occur? By all rights, Lexie shouldn't even be here in Seattle. If things had gone the way she planned, she would be at Mass General right now, in their intern program, not here apart of Seattle Grace. Instead, her mother died and she ended up back in her home town to be close to her father and sister. This idea was puzzling Lexie until she finally said, "Do you ever wonder what would have happened if we hadn't met?"

"What do you mean?" Mark asked.

"Like what if I hadn't come to Seattle?"

"Or what if I hadn't?" Mark added.

"Well, you would have come for Derek," Lexie said.

"But what if Derek hadn't been here in the first place?" Mark said, loving playing devil's advocate with her. "Derek is only in Seattle because I made it imperative for him to leave New York. If I hadn't slept with Addison…"

"We would have never met," Lexie finished for him. "I might have come back to Seattle no matter what. But you, if you hadn't…" Lexie trailed off, trying to imagine being at Seattle Grace without Mark there with her. She probably never would have stopped crushing on George. No, Lexie mentally stopped herself. She liked to think that she would have discovered that dead end with or without Mark. "Do you think…"

"Do I think what?" Mark asked.

"Do you think that we were meant to meet? Like everything happened for a reason?" Lexie's voice was full of hope, as if the idea of some divine intervention would make their relationship even more romantic. But Mark didn't give her the answer she wanted.

"No," he said flatly.

"No?"

"No," Mark said, without any hesitation in his voice. "I don't think this was part of some master plan. I don't want to think that my child had to die so that I could meet you."

"What?" Lexie gasped, jerking up into sitting position. She looked at him with a million questions in her eyes, and momentarily Mark wished that he had stayed quiet.

"Addison was…pregnant," Mark said. "She had an abortion…and didn't tell me ahead of time." Mark remembered the little onesie that he had bought for the baby and the way that he had felt when he purchased it. He had gone to a baby store in Manhattan and hadn't really know what he was looking for. He had wanted to get a present for Addison to let her know that he was onboard, but all he could think about was getting something for the baby. He had walked up and down the aisles, seeing so much baby paraphernalia that he should have been scared. And he was, for a moment, but then he had seen the baby section devoted to the Yankees. When he had found the onesie, Mark had known that the baby was good thing. Yes, he had been cheating on Addison, and yes, he knew that she didn't love him (hence, the cheating), but a baby was something. A baby was someone. Someone to love would automatically love him back. And that was worth a lot to a man who had never felt truly loved in his adult life.

Later, when Addison had told him she aborted it, Mark remembered feeling totally calmed, and not a bit surprised. The grief, that came later along with the sorrow. But in that first moment, Mark was calm. He had been so used to people throwing him over, to choosing someone else, to not loving him, to forgetting him that part of him had been prepared. He met every person with the idea in mind that one day he would be left behind. And now, lying in the dark with Lexie, Mark clutched her tighter to him and vowed: _Not this time_.

It was going to be different with her. Mark was never going to give the only woman who had ever loved him an excuse to leave him. But he still felt vulnerable, in the dark, having confessed his darkest secret and waiting for her reaction.

Mark looked at her, and noticed for the first time that her eyes were filled with tears. "Oh, Mark," she whispered, her voice emotional, "I am so sorry. That must have been horrible. I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

Mark shook his head. "You didn't know, and I should have told you earlier. That is why I can't think in terms of 'meant to be' and 'fated'. If that were true, this is one fucked up universe."

"Yeah," Lexie said, still sitting. She pulled her legs tight to her chest and looked at him sideways. "But you already knew that, didn't you?"

She was crying in earnest then.

"Hey," Mark said, sitting up and wrapping an arm around her as the sheet fell to his waist. "Why are you crying?"

"Because it was your baby, Mark. Your baby." Lexie rested her head on his shoulder.

"It wasn't my baby, not yet any way. It never became anyone's baby." Mark stroked her hair. "I thought you were pro-choice."

"In the abstract," Lexie said. "There should always be options, but I never was close enough to the idea for it to matter." Lexie looked at him, her brown eyes looking like pools of sorrow. "I am sorry, Mark."

"Me too," he whispered. "I sometimes wonder what he would have looked like. Is that silly?"

"No," Lexie murmured, kissing his head the way that he always kissed hers. "I am sure he would have looked like you. With your beautiful blue eyes."

Mark smiled. "That would have been nice." He paused then, a thought hitting him that had never occurred before. "We aren't using protection," Mark said. "You're on birth control, right?"

Lexie nodded. "Yes, I am."

"What if it fails?" Mark asked, trying to sound casual.

"Then we are having a baby," Lexie said. She took his hand, and smiled when she saw the way that his fingers engulfed hers. Looking into his eyes, she said, "I am in this all the way Mark. I don't think I could have an abortion in any case, but if it was your baby, I know I couldn't. Even if this doesn't work out, even if we end up in totally different places, I know I will cherish this time together as the best part of my life." Lexie smiled tentatively at him, "When I say that I love you, it doesn't come with conditions. It is a forever kind of thing for me. If you change your mind, or if something happens, that won't matter. I'll always love you, and anything that came from our love."

Mark looked into her eyes, trying to believe her words, but it was the utter calm that finally convinced him. In that moment he felt more vulnerable than he ever had before. "I'm scared," he confessed, telling her something he had never said to another human being.

"About what?" Lexie asked.

"That something is going to happen to change all this. That things can't stay this way; that you will eventually leave me. I am not a good guy, Lexie, and I know that someday you will figure it out and…" He trailed off, dropping his gaze to his hands.

"And you will get left behind again," Lexie finished for him.

Mark said nothing.

Lexie touched the side of his face, and pulled it to hers. "You say that a lot, Mark. That you are not a good guy or that you aren't good at relationships. You don't know how wrong you are about both those things. Do you know how rare you are?" Lexie asked.

Mark furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, look at how you have been so far, Mark. You tried to stay away from me because Derek asked, and it was only when I came to _you_ that things changed. You tried to be honest with Derek, and when you had to make a choice you chose me!" Lexie said that last part as if she couldn't believe it.

"Of course I did," Mark said.

"But you didn't have to," Lexie continued on. "You wanted to give us a chance. You picked me and insured that we would have one. You have been so good to me. You are a good man, Mark Sloan. And I love you for it."

Mark felt his cheeks get red at her words. "Lexie…"

"Yes?"

"You shouldn't say things like that," Mark said, kissing her. "You make me love you even more, as if that is possible."

Lexie grinned against his lips. "And you said that words have no power."

"Obviously, I was mistaken," Mark said.

"I love you," She whispered.

"I love you too," Mark replied. "Too much."

"Hmm," Lexie said, as he kissed her neck. "There is no such thing."

Mark laid her back onto the bed, kissing every inch of her neck as he did. "The way you say that to me does things to me."

"Sexy things?" Lexie asked with a laugh.

"Very sexy things," Mark said seriously. "Naughty. Sexy. Things."

"Mark?" Lexie said, suddenly serious.

He heard the tone in her voice and paused, lifting his head. "What? What's wrong?"

"I want to have a baby with you," Lexie said.

"What? Right now?" Mark asked in a rush. There was an edge of panic in his voice.

Lexie started laughing. "No, not right now. But someday. I want you to be the one who I have kids with."

Mark looked at her with shock on his face.

"Too soon?" Lexie asked, a smile in her eyes.

"No," Mark said slowly. "I don't think I could have ever heard that and not felt like I had just been hit with a Semi."

Lexie grinned. "Well, I just wanted you to know that eventually you will have to make a date in your appointment book. 'Knock Lexie up today'."

Mark shook his head. "I can't believe that you just released information like that into the universe. It's out there now."

"Now look who is giving words too much power."

Mark shook his head. "Damn," he said softly.

"What?" Lexie asked.

"I didn't think this was possible."

"What?"

"I want you even more now," Mark said, laying her down gently onto the mattress.

For the rest of the night, Mark made love to Lexie slowly, as if any moment their baby could be conceived.

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Hope you all enjoyed! Please Review!


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey everyone! I hope you had a happy holiday, and that everyone is safe and sound. Here is the latest chapter. I hope you enjoy!**

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The hospital loomed large in the morning hours. The façade, which Lexie had always associated with a welcoming feeling, looked as forbidden to her as Meredith's house. While Lexie sat in Mark's car outside the building, she bit her lip as she thought about her options. They were currently parked in the far back corner of the parking lot, with the windows up, and the car facing a way which made detection from the outside impossible.

"This is ridiculous," Mark muttered, as her looked over at Lexie who still appeared to be thinking. "You are my girlfriend, and I want to walk in with you without worrying who will see me. We should not be afraid of telling people about us."

"But then they will know," Lexie said, her voice tinted with a hint of a whine.

"Yes," Mark said slowly. "That is the point of telling people. They will know, and then we can be a real couple in front of everyone. Random doctors, interns, and unsuspecting nurses will stop hitting on me, and the stupid intern with the funny name will stop looking at you with longing in his eyes."

"Who looks at me with—" Lexie stopped mid-sentence, and changed direction. "You are missing the point. If everyone knows, then everyone _knows_. I won't be able to scrub in on another Plastics case without people thinking that I am getting special favors. Not to mention the massive and judgmental freak-out we will get from Meredith and Derek, as if they weren't together when she was an intern. And furthermore, where do they get off—"

"Lexie," Mark cut in.

"Yeah?"

"You're rambling."

"Sorry," Lexie muttered. "I am just so sick of this Mark. I want to be your girlfriend in the daytime too."

"You are my girlfriend in the daytime," Mark said, not understanding the thought processes of the human female.

"Of course I am," She said, "What I mean is that I want it to not be a secret thing. We have nothing to be ashamed of."

Mark nodded. "But I thought you wanted to keep this secret?"

"I do."

"Wow, I am utterly confused."

"I do, but I wish we didn't have to." Lexie looked at him, and took his right hand in her left one. "I wish there was an easier way to do this. I wish we didn't feel like people would be judging us no matter what we do."

Mark listened and tried to decipher her circumlocution. "So are we telling people or not?"

"Not," Lexie sighed. "Damn it! This sucks!"

"Cause you want to be my girlfriend in the daytime?" Mark asked with a smirk.

"I _am_ your girlfriend in the daytime," Lexie growled.

"Right, sorry. Not a good time to joke," Mark muttered.

Lexie bit her lip. Damn, that was sexy, Mark thought. Her face conveyed many different emotions, and every time that Mark thought she was about to say something, she closed her mouth and bit her lip again. He loved to watch her, anytime, day or night. Sometimes when Mark woke in the middle of the night disoriented, he looked over and saw her resting next to him. Watching her sleep gave him a sense of contentment that he had never known before.

"Okay," Lexie said.

"You've made a decision," Mark said. It wasn't a question.

"Yep."

"Well?"

"I am going to tell Meredith today," Lexie said.

"You are?"

"Uh-huh. I can't live like this anymore. I will tell her, and then once I have, I will page you and you can tell Derek. That way, we get them both out of the way and they can gossip to each other all they want, but no one else in the hospital has to know." Lexie looked pleased with her decision.

"Wow, that is radically naive."

"It is," Lexie agreed with a nod, knowing the holes in her plan.

"Okay, you want to know the likely scenario of what will really happen?"

"No."

Mark continued as if he hadn't heard her. "When you tell Meredith, she is going to have a massive melt down on the surgical floor in front of the nurses' station. She is going to scream, really loudly, 'You are sleeping with Mark Sloan?' And just like that the entire hospital will know. And before you can page me to tell Derek, one of the nurses will tell him, cause it will be all over the hospital by that point, and he will find me, deck me, and I will end up bleeding on the floor where Derek will tell me that the current ceasefire arrangement that is our friendship is over and that I am dead to him." Mark smiled wryly. "That is being optimistic, of course."

"Of course," Lexie repeated with a smile.

"Well," Mark said, kissing her on the cheek. "Ready?"

"Ready," Lexie said, opening her car door.

***

Meredith Grey was standing at the surgical board as Lexie watched her in the hallway. _You can do this_, Lexie told herself, _all you have to do is walk up to her and tell her that you are sleeping and living with her boyfriend's best friend. Simple, right?_ Lexie's fear grew the longer that she stood watching Meredith. What was the worst that could happen?

Gathering her courage, Lexie walked over to her sister. "Hey," she said.

Meredith nodded and said nothing.

"Nice day, isn't it? A good day to be forgiving, right? Like if someone told you that they had done something, on a day like today we should be forgiving. I don't know about you, but I really feel like being totally open to things on days like this. Especially sister stuff. So if you have anything that you want to tell me that you have done recently, I would be totally forgiving—"

"Lexie?" Meredith said. "What are you talking about?" She looked utterly confused as to what she was trying to say.

"I was just wondering if you had anything that you—"

"Wanted to tell you?" Meredith finished. "Yeah, I got that part. Why are you asking me about this?"

"Umm," Lexie's cheeks began to heat. "Cause guilt is bad, and you shouldn't carry it around?"

"Okay," Meredith said, as if she was talking to a small child. "No, I don't think there is anything that I want to tell you. Definitely nothing that I feel guilty about."

"Nothing that weighs on your mind? Nothing that stresses you?"

Meredith looked confused again, but then her face softened. "Is this about the solo surgery?"

"The what-now?" Lexie asked, confused.

"You heard that I have my first solo surgery today and you didn't want me to be stressed," Meredith concluded.

"Of course," Lexie said. "That is exactly what I was talking about. But you're too sneaky for me."

Meredith smiled.

Lexie bit her lip again, wanting to hit something. Damn it! She couldn't tell her now, not when Meredith had her first solo surgery today. There was no way Lexie wanted to be responsible for the loss of someone's vital organs because her sister was distracted. This would have to wait. "Well, since you found me out…um, good luck."

"Thanks," Meredith said, already looking away from Lexie and concentrating on the surgical board.

Lexie started muttering to herself as she walked away. Pulling out her phone, she texted Mark and said: _Mission aborted_.

***

Mark stepped into the elevator to head up to the floor of the hospital which housed his patients in recovery. He should have been thinking about his coming liposuction surgery, but instead he was thinking about Lexie. He knew that she had wanted to tell Meredith right away, and he vaguely wondered if they should evacuated the hospital and wait for the bomb squad to come and diffuse big Grey.

"Mark! Wait!" Mark peaked around the closing doors to see Callie running for the elevator.

She caught it in time, and stepped on, "Hey."

Mark nodded, and said nothing.

"Are you still mad about last night?"

No response.

"Oh come on Mark, you just took me by surprise is all. You can't blame me for that, can you? I mean, when have you ever been faithful to a woman and have it mean something? I was completely unprepared for that even being a possibility." Callie sighed. "Do you want me to beg? Cause I am not above begging. Please," She said, her voice dragging out the word. She held her hands up in a penitent manner, "I really need my friend right now."

"Fine," Mark said in a magnanimous tone. "You are forgiven."

"Thank you," Callie said in a rush. "Now! I have to tell you about what happened with me and Sadie."

Mark sighed. "What?"

"We kissed!" Callie said it with such enthusiasm that Mark cracked a smile.

"You kissed," He repeated. "That's it?"

"It was hot!"

"It was a kiss," Mark said. "How hot could it have been?"

"You weren't there," Callie said. "You don't know what a really hot kiss is like."

Mark chuckled. "You haven't kissed Lexie."

Callie looked contemplative.

"That wasn't a suggestion!" Mark said suddenly.

"Whatever," Callie said. "I had a really hot kiss with a really hot intern—"

"—Crazy intern," Mark interjected.

"—crazy hot intern," Callie continued, "And you went home with the same woman last night who you probably watched TV and fell asleep with the lights on with."

Mark laughed.

"What?" Callie asked. "Am I warm?" Callie laughed at his expression. "You probably miss the single life, don't you?"

Mark laughed even harder. "You are so not even close. Let me give you a little taste, since you obviously cannot begin to understand what this is like. Last night, I came to the hospital and had Lexie tell me that she loves me. Then, we went home and Lexie and I spent all night having sex. She made my back bend in ways that even _I_ didn't know about. Then we ended the evening with her telling me that she wants to have my kids one day, followed by another round of sweaty sex." Mark paused for dramatic effect. "So yeah, I really miss the single life. All this happiness is exhausting," Mark said with a hint of humor and sarcasm.

Callie sighed. "I hate you. Why can't you be suffering through the trials of dating like the rest of us?"

The elevator stopped on Mark's floor. "Just lucky, I guess." Mark smiled to himself, thinking about how true that was.

His phone went off then, and Mark saw Lexie's message. He sighed. "Guess I am in the closet for one more day," Mark muttered to himself, continuing down the hall.

"Dr. Sloan!"

He turned at the sound of his name, to see Derek coming out of the stairwell. Derek walked over to him, and said, "Did you get my page?"

Mark looked down at his pager and saw that he had missed one from Derek. "Now, I did," he said. "Sorry. What's up?"

"I need a consult," Derek said.

Mark nodded, thinking to himself that he could do his rounds later. "Sure."

"Can we get a drink later?" Derek asked, his voice casual, but his tone hopeful.

Mark paused. He really didn't want to continue lying to Derek, but at the same time he missed his friend. A part of him was still resentful of the fact that he was being forced to lie about his relationship with Lexie, but he also knew that it was worth it to be with her.

He was working late tonight, and Lexie was headed home around eight. He could be quick with Derek and then be home to see Lexie around eleven. She would understand.

"Okay," he said. "One drink, but then I've got…stuff."

"Fine," Derek replied with a smile. "I wouldn't want to keep you from your…stuff."

Mark just grunted.

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Review Please!


	15. Chapter 15

**Hi everybody! Sorry I didn't get a chance to update yesterday, but I was stuck on airplanes the whole day. But now I am home, and the updates can continue uninterrupted now that the holidays are over until Wednesday. Anywho, this is a much more introspective chapter than I normally write, but I couldn't seem to help myself. Oh, also, I want to clarify something. Mark's vulnerability in previous chapters is strictly with Lexie. By no means is he becoming like that with anyone else. He is still an ass in all other situations. I wanted to portray it this way because I was going off what Eric Dane said about Mark. The idea that if a woman ever loved him he would turn into a lapdog (or something like that). Sorry, for the ramble! Enjoy!**

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As the months passed by, Mark and Lexie found themselves developing a routine that would fit none but them. Initially, they tried hard to make time for each other outside of work. But conflicting schedules caused them to become like two ships passing in the night, only coming together in the wee hours of the morning for a quick round of sex and then sleep curled up together. This lasted for two weeks when Lexie put her foot down.

"I have had it!" She yelled, slamming her bag down on the floor by her bedside table. Their apartment was fully furnished now, with furniture and knickknacks in every room.

Mark shot up from the bed, where he had fallen asleep while trying to read a magazine and stay up to see Lexie. "What the hell?" He asked, his voice scratchy from sleep.

"I can't take this anymore," Lexie said. "We never see each other."

Mark rubbed his hand over his face. "It's just because you are an intern. Things will change in a few months."

"I can't wait that long," Lexie moaned. She sat down on the bed, her shoulders slumping. "I want to spend time with you, Mark. Our lives should never be so crazy that we don't have time for each other." She started to cry. "What if you forget about me?"

Mark chuckled and wrapped his arms around her from behind. "That could never happen, Lexie Grey. You're my hot intern, remember?" He then whispered, "You're also the woman I love. Forgetting about you? Not gonna happen."

"Still," Lexie said. "Something has to give, Mark."

Mark kissed her, and then the next day he went in to see Richard with her. Politely, he asked if the Chief would let them have the same days off so that they could continue to "keep their relationship out of the hospital". His voice seemed deferring, but Richard narrowed his eyes anyway.

"You two," He said, looking at them like a suspicious father, "I have been watching you two…making sure any and all funny business stays out of my hospital. So far, I must admit, I have been impressed."

Mark and Lexie smiled at each other.

"But," Richard said emphatically, "If I am supposed to pretend I don't know what is going on with the two of you, there sure as hell better be nothing for me to know about. I don't want you two in my office again for anything about your…situation. I will let the Chief Resident know about the special situation, Dr. Grey, and Dr. Sloan you are free to start making your own schedule."

Lexie looked at the Chief hesitantly. "You're not going to tell Dr. Bailey why my schedule is changing, are you?"

Richard pointed to the door. "Out!"

As they scurried out, Lexie could swear that she heard him muttering, "All other attendings keep their relationships out of work, but not here, no! ... I feel like I am running a damn dating service sometimes."

After that, things changed dramatically for Lexie and Mark. Lexie got off at reasonable times in the evenings, and they had their days off together. Once that occurred, they started devoting their days off to only each other. No hospital, no friends, just them. Sometimes they would go out, and sometimes they would stay in, but it was always just about being together.

Mark marveled at how things had changed. He had never really given much thought to the after in relationships. He had known he wanted to be that guy for Lexie, and he had been shocked and humbled when he realized that he loved her and that she returned the emotion, but his grand plans had kinda stopped there. He had never considered the next part. Never could he have known that saying 'I love you' was only the beginning. To his amazement, he had only been in the first stages of love. Now, things were so utterly different.

He didn't just love her, he was _in_ love with her.

His love for her had deepened to such a point that he could hardly remember what it had been like before she stepped into his life. All of the many women who had come before her faded, and became almost like distant memories of another life and another time.

Of another man.

Mark could never have believed that he had much to learn about women, or love, but he had been so wrong. All he knew, all he had believed, Lexie tore down and showed him what he was missing. And all her patience, all her affection, all her love, only made him more and more in love with her. It was so strange to go to the hospital and to talk to Derek, and realize that his best friend in the whole world had no idea who he was anymore. That guy, the one who Derek saw him as, he simply didn't exist anymore.

Sure, he was still an ass. He harassed the interns, and he snapped at the residents when they interfered with his surgeries. But he was so much more than that now. There was so much more_ to_ him, more than even he could have known.

And it was all because of her.

The one he had almost let get away.

When Mark thought about it, he wondered what would have happened if he had swept her up the moment she came to Seattle Grace. All those wasted months ate at him now as he thought about all he had missed. All those smiles and tears which she had shared with others, all of those amazing turns of her mind, and all those nights she had slept without him. He only wished that he had known sooner.

That he had known this kind of happiness was possible.

For Lexie it was different though. For her, it wasn't about the utter happiness she was feeling, nor for the wonderful man she was slowly uncovering, but rather it was this sense that something had brought her to this place. Though Mark had shot down the idea, Lexie still believed that this was part of some greater plan. There was simply no other explanation.

It was just too perfect. They fit each other too well. Fate had to have had a part in bringing them together. Lexie believed that there was a reason she met him when she had.

It was her mother.

That was what Lexie believed. When she had a chance to think about it, Lexie realized that the signs were there all along. Something, or someone, had been pushing her towards Mark Sloan from the beginning of her internship. The fact that she was always assigned to his service; the fact that while she was shy with other men, her tongue hadn't frozen up when talking to Mark; the fact that he had seen her, when no other man did; the fact that she met him when he was finally ready for a real relationship; the fact that he came along exactly when she needed him.

She had been meant for Mark Sloan, and it was her mother who had made her realize it.

Lexie had never told anyone, but she had almost not come to Seattle Grace. Everyone knew she was supposed to intern at Mass. General, but few knew that she had still meant to take it, even after her mother died. She had been all set to tell Molly that she was on her own. She had even picked up the phone to make her reservation to return to Massachusetts after the funeral, but something had stopped her. A feeling of calm had come over her, and she had put down the phone.

Yes, something had stopped her. Something, or someone. The only way Lexie could make sense of her own life was to believe that it had been her mother. Her mother, guiding her to this man. Sure she had made mistakes along the way, Alex and George, but she had ended up in the right spot.

With the right man.

Mark Sloan was her Mr. Right. Who would have thought?

The others didn't see it. Sadie only wanted to know about the sex, and would then launch into a description of the torrid relationship she shared with Torres. Callie would nod at her in the elevators, or occasionally let her set a really cool bone, but she seemed to see Lexie as a scientific experiment that Mark was conducting.

They didn't understand.

None of them could see that this wasn't like the rest of the times. Perhaps if Derek knew, or if Lexie had a close girlfriend who knew her, the changes would be obvious to them.

Because the changes seemed glaring to Lexie.

She was different; he was different.

They were different.

Two months after they moved in together, Lexie came home to find Mark curled up on the bed. But this time, she wasn't mad that he had fallen asleep. This time, she stripped her clothes off and settled his naked body against her own. She ran her hands over his skin, waking him in a most effective manner.

"Mmmm," he said, as he slowly opened his eyes, "Don't stop."

"I don't intend to," Lexie said huskily.

"God, I love your hands," Mark murmured. "I don't know how, but they always know the exact right place to…touch." His breath hissed out as she wrapped her small hand around his hardness.

"You were saying?" She whispered.

"No more talking," Mark said, as he rolled on top of her and began to torment her the way she did him.

After, when they were laying together, their bodies touching as Mark remained inside of her, he whispered, "I missed you today."

Lexie laughed. "What do you mean? We were on the same case!"

"Yes, but it wasn't the same," Mark said. "The case was too interesting and Yang was hovering. I wanted you all to myself to tell you what a good job I thought you were doing, and how impressed I was with the way you closed at the end of the procedure." Mark kissed the corner of her mouth. "You can't be my Lexie at the hospital."

"I am always your Lexie," she said, her mouth curling into a loving smile. "At home, in the hospital, at Joe's, everywhere. I'll always be your Lexie."

"Always? You can't know that," Mark murmured into her hair.

"I can," Lexie responded. "I could never imagine being anyone else's Lexie. I love you." Her eyes were so full of gentle sincerity that Mark almost felt like crying. He hardly recognized himself in her arms.

"God, I love you," he rasped. "You're everything, Lex. Just everything."

"Mark," she moaned as he kissed her again. "Show me how much. Show me how you feel."

His hands were trembling as he ran them over her body. As if he was nervous that he wouldn't please her. It was amazing that Mark Sloan had that vulnerability, but with Lexie he did. He wanted to make everything good for her, and no matter how many times she moaned in his arms, it wasn't good enough. He wanted to make her incoherent with pleasure every time he took her to bed. Mark knew it was silly, but it was only in bed that his old insecurities popped up. No matter how many times that she told him she loved him, Mark was trying to ruin her for any other man. To make it so that she would never be able to even contemplate the idea of sex with someone else.

He needn't have worried, Lexie only wanted him, but Mark didn't want to risk it. She was the only thing that mattered, and he would do anything to keep her.

He dragged his lips across her skin, working his way down her body until he reached the dark curls at the apex of her thighs. With his fingers, he parted her delicate lips and began to worship her with his mouth. Lexie fingers secured themselves in his hair, as she tried to both push him away and hold him in place.

Mark loved the sounds she made when she was about to come.

But he would never give her release like that. He would only ever push her over that final edge when he was in her body. Deep within his mind, Mark probably knew that it was manipulative, but he couldn't seem to help it.

He wanted her to crave him, the way he did her.

Little did he know the very extent to which she desired and wanted him. He couldn't have even imagined.

When they finally came together, Mark collapsed on top of her and kissed away the tears that had fallen down Lexie's cheeks when she climaxed. That was probably one of his favorite parts about her, Mark thought; she couldn't hide what she felt.

Lexie was always free with her feelings.

And for her part, Lexie savored every moment that Mark desperately tried to please her. She knew what he was doing, but she let him do it anyway. Lexie knew that Mark would have to let go of his fears of abandonment on his own. She couldn't fix that for him.

But the very fact that he was desperate to keep her told Lexie that she was not alone in her mad love. That this love was shared, and its power equally binding.

That Mark too feared it would be taken away from them.

But though they feared, though they were afraid, neither of them held anything back.

It was only with each other that they could truly be themselves.

As she fell asleep in his arms, Lexie thought to herself that she was right.

This was different.

_They_ were different.

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**Review please!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hi all! Well, we are getting to that point of the story that many of you knew was coming... Try to enjoy anyway!**

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Both Lexie and Mark had been sleeping soundly when they were woken by a shrill ringing sound. "What the hell?" Mark growled as he bolted upright.

"What's going on?" Lexie muttered. She then realized what the sound was. "Oh, it's my phone." Lexie looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table, and realize it wasn't yet midnight. They had really worn each other out.

"Why the hell is your phone so annoying?" Mark muttered as he rolled over and covered his head with a pillow.

The shrill ringing came again, and Lexie hurried to the hall to find her purse. When she got to it, she quickly opened the phone and whispered, "Hello?"

"Lexie!" Was all she heard on the line.

"Who is this?"

"It's your sister. Well, your half sister…sometimes…when I feel like it."

"Meredith?" Lexie hissed into the phone. "Are you drunk?"

"Maybe?" She sounded as if she wasn't sure of that answer.

"And you called me because why?"

"Why wouldn't I call you?" Meredith said, slurring her words. "You're Lexie!"

"Yes, I am Lexie. But why did you call me, Meredith?" Lexie hopped from foot to foot, trying to keep the cold away. She resented standing naked in her own hallway when there was a warm bed and a warmer man waiting for her.

"Oh, I don't remember," Meredith said, when suddenly there was a scuffle in the background, and then Christina had taken Meredith's phone. "Three, you need to come to Joe's and get Meredith."

"What?" Lexie asked, still hopping. "Why me? What about Derek or her roommates? Why can't you do it?"

"Derek was called back to the hospital after a guy fell off his roof, Alex and Izzie are missing because Alex is trying to help Izzie with her tragic pain, and I can't do it cause…I can't."

Lexie stomped her foot in frustration. "Fine, I'll be there in ten minutes." She snapped the phone shut, and tossed it back in her purse.

"You'll be where in ten minutes?" Mark asked, leaning against the door to their bedroom.

"I have to go pick up my dark and twisty sister who couldn't be bothered to get a designated driver before getting drunk." Lexie walked past him into the bedroom. She pulled on her jeans in a hurry. "Where is my bra?" Lexie muttered to herself.

Mark yawned, and picked it up from where it was draping over the end of their bed. "You have to pick her up? In this rain?" What had started as a gentle drizzle in the early evening, was now a bona fide storm.

Lexie laughed. "It will be fine Mark. It's just a quick trip to Joe's. You won't even notice I am missing."

"I always notice when you're missing," Mark muttered. "Fine go; leave me alone in my big cold bed."

Lexie started laughing. "Oh, poor baby. I'll be back before you know it." She pulled on her coat and tipped her face up to his. "Give me a kiss."

"No," Mark said. "You don't get kisses when you leave me in the middle of the night. My kisses are for girlfriends who stay right here."

"Fine," Lexie said with a chuckle. "See you soon," She wiggled her fingers at him.

Mark muttered something, and then crawled back into bed.

***

By the time that Lexie reached the bar, she was ready to strangle Meredith. After sitting through awful traffic to drive five miles, the rain was really coming down when she reached the bar. Lexie made a run for it, and headed into the bar with her clothes soaked despite her efforts. She felt strange at the prospect of doing such a sisterly thing for Meredith.

Despite Mark's numerous requests, Lexie had never been able to properly broach the subject of their relationship with Meredith.

There always seemed to be some excuse, some reason why that day wasn't good enough. But then Mark and Lexie had been able to synchronize their schedules, and the urgency of being couple in the hospital had dissipated. Sure, there were moments when Lexie wished that people knew. Mostly when one of them lost a patient, and the other needed comfort. Many times Lexie had wanted Mark's arms around her, and his reassuring voice telling her that it would be okay. He was usually able to do just that later, when they were at home, or when he was able to meet her in an empty on call room. But it was never the same as it would have been if he had been able to come to her right away, within the immediacy of the moment.

Upon entering, she saw Christina flag her down and yell, "Three! Over here!"

Lexie made her way over to the table. "Hi," she said.

"Oh thank God," Christina said. "She's all your's Lexipedia." Christina all but shoved Meredith into Lexie's arms on her way out the door.

"Lexie, Lexie!" Meredith said. "You came!"

"As promised," Lexie said. She then helped Meredith out of the booth. "Let's get you home."

Once she had her in the car, Lexie began the drive to Meredith's house, annoyed at the long path she had to take without the help of ferries.

"You are so good to me," Meredith said after a while, her voice filled with a singsong quality. "A good sister."

"Sister…yeah, sure." Lexie's voice held no anger or judgment, just a wishful longing for a relationship that did not and never would exist.

Despite her drunken state, Meredith seemed to pick up on her tone, "Don't be sad, Lexie," she said, giggling. "I am a good sister to you too, but you can't know about it."

Lexie gripped the steering wheel tighter. "What do you mean?"

Meredith raised her hand to scratch her nose, but missed. "I protected you!" She sounded proud of herself. "I told Derek to tell Mark to stay away…from you!"

Lexie smiled sadly to herself. "Why did you do that?"

"Cause you are good, Lex, not like me. Not like McSteamy. You are better than him." Meredith sounded as though she was trying hard to concentrate.

"Maybe I don't want to be better," Lexie murmured.

She was amazed at this opportunity to see, really see, her sister. Meredith normally kept up so many walls, but none of them seemed to be up at the moment. "Why don't you like me, Meredith?" Lexie asked, her stomach tight as she waited for an answer.

"I do like you," Meredith said, "Your Lexie. Everyone likes Lexie."

"Then why don't you want to be my sister?"

Lexie stopped the car at a stoplight, and turned to look at Meredith. She was surprised to see her sister staring right at her, looking very sober. In a clear voice, Meredith said, "I don't know how to be a good sister to you, Lexie."

Lexie felt tears of rejection rising in her eyes. "You could try," she whispered. "I don't want much. Just recognition, you know? I would take any role in your life that you want to give me, Meredith."

"You had smiley face posters on your wall as a teenager, didn't you?" Meredith asked, still looking serious.

Lexie shook her head as she accelerated the car. "Nirvana. Why?" One of the things that few people knew about her was her secret love for 90s rock. It was something Mark had discovered with glee and proceeded to tease her about for days after.

Meredith giggled. "I can't see you rocking out to 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'." Her voice slurred on the last word.

"Perhaps you don't know me as well as you think," Lexie said.

"True, true Little Grey."

Lexie looked at Meredith in surprise. It was so weird to hear that nickname coming out of her sister's mouth, especially when she was used to hearing Mark whisper it to her so tenderly.

Lexie bit her lip, and then looked at Meredith with fledgling hope in her eyes. "Maybe we could try being sisters." Her heart raced as she waited for Meredith's response.

"Ummm, okay," Meredith said, drawing out both words. She sounded as though she wasn't listening to closely.

Lexie sighed, and pulled up to the curb next to Meredith's house. "We're here," she said.

After she got Meredith into the house, Lexie pulled away from the curb thinking about the warm bed waiting for her.

It never occurred to her that she might not reach it.

***

Something was ringing. Mark rolled over in frustration, pulled by that annoying sound from the depths of sleep. He had finally been drifting off again, his thoughts of worry for Lexie fading to the back of his mind. Mark smacked his pillow and sat up with frustration. He suddenly realized that it wasn't Lexie's phone, it was the door.

Mark pulled on sweats and then walked quickly to the front door, wondering why Lexie was ringing the bell. "Did you forget your…" He trailed off when he saw Derek standing at the door.

"Did I forget my what?" Derek said, looking at him in confusion.

"Nothing," Mark said, shaking his head. "What are you doing here, Derek?"

"I thought I would come see your place," Derek said with a grin. "I just left the hospital, the patient coded, and Meredith is drinking with Christina, so I have some time…"

Mark sighed. This was something Derek had done when they were in college. Back then, it had been mostly because he knew that Mark didn't sleep well and he wanted to talk about girls over endless bottles of beer. Mark looked down at Derek's right hand, and sure enough, he was holding a case of Yuengling Premium.

He knew Derek was trying to reclaim the way their friendship had been once upon a time, but that simply wasn't possible. Over the last two months, he and Derek had seemed to form some kind of truce, if a tentative one at that. They met occasionally after work for a drink, often at Lexie's behind-the-scenes urging. But all of the freedom and honesty that had existed between them was gone.

Mark felt like he was once again having an affair behind Derek's back, only this time he wasn't willing to give it up. And it saddened him to know that if Derek ever found out about him and Lexie and forced him to make a choice, as Lexie once said he was, Mark would choose Lexie.

"Can I come in?" Derek asked, shifting his feet.

Mark stepped aside.

Derek whistled as he surveyed the apartment. It had changed greatly from the empty set of rooms with merely a bed and a couch that Lexie and Mark had first moved into.

Now, the kitchen was cluttered with pots hangings from the ceiling, and fresh herbs growing on the counter by the double sink. There were bar stools and flowers on the counter which Mark had brought home for Lexie the day before. Daisies, of course. And in the wide living room, there was still that first sofa and chaise, but they were joined by a leather chair and a table and a flat screen on the wall. In the library, Lexie's books were intermixed with Mark's, her textbooks and romance novels finding space by his encyclopedias and murder mysteries. There was also a heavy wood desk in there that had been Mark's grandfather's; it was the only family heirloom he had kept.

"Wow," Derek said, as he looked around. His eyes seemed to take in everything, but Mark wondered if he knew what he was seeing. There was so much of Lexie in every room. The soft yellow of the bedroom, the paintings on the wall. Derek seemed confused when he turned to his friend, "You live here?"

Mark nodded, conceding nothing. He was grateful the only picture of him and Lexie was on his bedside table, and out of Derek's view.

"It's…it's…" Derek trailed off. "Have you not had time to decorate?"

Mark shrugged, and walked into the kitchen. "Let's go in here." He padded over to the fridge and pulled out salsa and then took chips out of the cupboard. He and Derek then settled on the bar stools.

Derek handed him a beer while he continued to look around in confusion. "This place is so…"

Mark grimaced. He knew the apartment was more Lexie's style than his, but he liked that. He liked feeling like he was surrounded by her when he was here. But mostly, he loved the way that she puttered around and made it into a home. On their days off he would often find her humming to herself while she made cookies, or curled up in the library reading by the window. And every time he saw her doing something like that, he felt as though his heart was swelling with love. "I like it like this," he said to Derek, his voice low.

Derek paused, his bottle of beer half way to his mouth. "But it's not your style."

"No," Mark conceded. "It's not mine, it's…" He trailed off, realizing what he was about to reveal.

"Oh my God," Derek said, looking at his friend. "You are living with someone!"

Mark choked. "What?"

"You are! I don't know why I didn't see it sooner. You are living with a girl!" Derek looked as though he was amazed at his own brilliance. "Who is she? Anyone I know?"

Mark coughed and repeated, "What?"

"This is so huge!" Derek said, "You have to tell me everything!"

Mark opened his mouth to reply, when both of their pagers went off. They both said 911, causing Mark to breathe a sigh of relief. Not for the emergency, but rather for the reprieve he had just been given.

Little did he know that this was the page which would change his life forever.

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**Review, for Slexie goodness!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Well, here we go! Please, try not to hate me! Lol!**

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"Damn," Lexie mumbled as she peered out her windshield once she got back in her car after taking Meredith inside. The rain was really coming down. Lexie shook her head ruefully. Normally, she loved nights like this. When nature took over, and seemed to wash everything away. It always made her feel very small in comparison to the universe. Normally, she would savor the chance to be out in weather like this, but at this particular moment there was only one place she wanted to be.

Home.

It was strange how she had come to think of her and Mark's apartment that way after only two months. For most of her life, home had been a small split level house that she had grown up in with her parents and her little sister; but no longer. Home was with Mark now.

Home was their apartment, and would be their penthouse, and perhaps one day a house.

Home was with _him_.

Things had changed so irrevocably in such a short time. For all her talk of soul mates and fate, it still surprised her that she had found just that. While Lexie believed that to be the case with her and Mark, she never would have allowed herself to imagine such a thing as recently as a year ago.

Probably because she had never felt like this before.

All three of her relationships before Mark seemed to be a gradual easing into love, or they were completely one-sided; it had never been like this. She had never been so impulsive, or relied so heavily on her feelings. She had been idealistic, sure, but never so reckless. Lexie smiled to herself when she thought of how for once, she had made the right decision.

How different would her life be now if she had deemed Mark too risky, or continued to throw herself at George despite overwhelming evidence regarding his indifference?

It was a scary idea to even contemplate.

The rain continued to fall on the ride home from Meredith's house. It was starting to collect as well, in the gutters, as it rushed to sewer openings. This much rain was hardly seen, even in Seattle, but Lexie didn't notice. Her mind had moved on from Mark and was now focused on the conversation she had with Meredith.

It was a confusing idea to her that Meredith was trying in the only way she knew how to be a sister, but still not doing it successfully. Lexie tried to think back to how her relationship with Molly had been when they were growing up. Had there been this constant tension? Lexie remembered being annoyed with her when she tagged along or when she took something without asking, but there had always been an unspoken agreement that they had each other's backs.

They had been a family; first and foremost, they had been there for each other.

But Meredith had never had that.

Lexie tried to imagine what it had been like to be the great Ellis Grey's daughter, but her mind couldn't seem to give her a clear picture. She had never known much about Meredith's mom until she came to Seattle Grace, but then she started taking care of her dad and things had been mentioned. Her father seemed to curse Ellis as much as he had admired her. It had utterly confused Lexie at the time, but now that she thought about it, it made sense.

Meredith was a perfect combination of that conundrum.

She had lived in her mother's shadow, but at the same time had probably resented her for that. From the way Meredith was with Derek, Lexie guessed that deep down her sister just wanted to be happy, but really had not the skills or knowledge of how to.

It would be so simple if she knew what Meredith wanted from her. Lexie never knew when to back off, or try again. But after what Meredith had told her tonight, Lexie thought that it was worth trying again.

It was worth it for her sister.

Lexie slowed the car as she turned the corner, looking at the clock on the dashboard. It was a little before one, and she should be home in fifteen minutes as long as there wasn't traffic. She smiled as she thought about what awaited her in their lovely apartment.

Mark.

Lexie grinned to herself as she replayed the image of his expression as it had been when she left earlier. He truly seemed to begrudge any interruption they had when they were at home.

That was a good thing though, Lexie thought. She too wanted their time together to be as little interrupted as possible.

The pattering of the rain on the windshield and the swish of the wipers lulled Lexie's mind as she drove. It made her think back to just a month ago when she and Mark had been driving home from a shift at the hospital.

It had been raining that night too, but it had been lighter and warmer.

"I love this weather," Lexie had said, her smile curling up at the corners as she drove Mark's sports car back to their apartment.

"Don't talk to me," he had said, looking out the window.

"Oh, come on. Stop pouting."

"No," Mark replied. "I'm mad at you."

"Why? Cause I gave you a sex sprain? Or because you had to let Alex assist you in the OR today?" Lexie shook her head happily. Mark could be such a baby.

"First of all," Mark said, wagging his finger and looking at her. "You did not give me a…"

"Sex sprain?" Lexie supplied.

Mark waved his hand. "Yeah, that. Saying that you did would imply that somehow I was unequal to the task of keeping up with you, which I assure you is not the case. Second of all, I couldn't care less that Karev was in the OR with me today. That lightweight could learn a thing or two from me."

Lexie had coughed to smother her laugh. "Don't worry Mark. You are still King of the Bedroom and the OR."

"Damn straight, I am."

"And no one could take your titles."

"Of course they couldn't," Mark muttered.

"But that doesn't change the fact that you hurt your back from too much sex with me." Lexie smirked. "Guess that makes me Queen of the Bedroom, huh?"

Mark grunted. "Please, I could have you pinned down and panting anytime Grey."

"Fine, then you can show me tonight," Lexie had said.

"No, not tonight," Mark replied.

"Why not?"

"Cause tonight I need to ice my back."

Lexie's gleeful laughter had been his only response.

Thinking back on moments like that now, Lexie couldn't help but grin as she remembered them. Mark was her equal in every way that mattered, but more importantly, she was his.

Suddenly, Lexie felt herself lose control of the car. It was hydroplaning in the rain, her wheels losing traction with the ground. For one horrible moment, Lexie felt like her heart was going to stop. She tightened her fingers on the wheel and tried to remember what she knew about moments like this. Steer in to the skid, yes, that was right, but there was no time. It was happening too quickly, so she relied purely on instinct and slammed on her brakes.

Her tires seemed to find purchase on the ground at the very moment she started to break because they jerked and halted her car after about ten feet.

Initially, Lexie couldn't move. Her elbows seemed locked as she sat there, panting in her car at the close call she had nearly had. She had grown up driving in weather such as this, but that didn't prepare her fore the powerlessness that she felt when she lost control of the car. There had been a moment, a brief moment, when all she had felt was panic.

Her car was utterly still now, but the rain continued to fall, and Lexie could smell a slight burning coming from her brakes. She released her death grip on the steering wheel, and tried to calm her breathing.

Lexie realized she was sitting in the middle of an intersection, with nothing but a green light beckoning her car across. She tried not to think about the consequences of what would have happened had the light been red. Lexie took a deep breath, and started to move her foot to step on the accelerator when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye.

The next moment felt like that cheesy part in a movie when the main character knows he is about to die.

Lexie relived her entire life in a moment.

She saw that puppy she had as a child, and the tears she had cried when it had been put to sleep. She saw her sister and her in their nightgowns the Christmas they had gotten bikes, and the scraped knees that followed. She saw her dad, and the way he had gathered her and Molly into his arms whenever he had come home from work. "How are my girls?" He would always say.

And she saw her mother.

So many moments of the woman who had been the greatest influence on her life. She saw her when she was little and she had been lost within the mall, and the look of relief and worry that dominated her mother's face when the security guard had released Lexie's hand. She saw her on one summer vacation they had taken when Susan had taught her daughter how to swim, and the joy on her face when Lexie could do it on her own. She saw her mother helping her fix her hair for the prom, and the look of relief in her eyes when Lexie had come in the door at one in the morning with a plastic tiara dangling between her fingers. She saw the pride when Lexie had graduated from high school and college, and the way that she could hardly see her mother's eyes because of the camera which was constantly clicking.

And she saw her tombstone. She relived that moment of utter grief when she had been looking down at her mother's coffin as dirt had covered it.

She saw Meredith, and Derek, and the look on Sadie's face as Lexie held a scalpel to her body.

But the one face that she saw, the one face that was permanently etched in her mind came with ice blue eyes.

Mark.

She could feel it all again. She could see it all again. She could hear it all again.

…

"_Well, you're my half-sister's boyfriend's best friend, so I_..._"_

"_You thought that makes us friends?"_

…

_"When I like someone I make sure they know it. Life's too short to live any other way."_

…

"_What if he doesn't like me back?"_

"_Then he's an idiot."_

…

"_Thank you, but maybe next time?"_

"_No, Lassie. There won't be a next time."_

…

"_Teach me."_

"_Oh, Lexie."_

…

"_Come on, am I really so bad?"_

"_No, I am."_

…

"_I wish things were different. I wish __we__ were different."_

"_But they aren't._ _And we aren't__."_

…

"_I am done trying to stay away from you. So done."_

"_Me too." _

…

"_When you look at me like that, I can't help but think…"_

"_What?" _

"_That I wish I could do this in front of everyone. That I wish we could be Mark and Lexie in front of everyone."_

…

"_You don't have to go."_

"_I really do. Or I'll never leave."_

"_So never leave."_

…

"_He's my brother. I don't know what to do."_

"_I know that this is hard for you. I know what you might have to give up, but Mark, you have to choose. It is not ideal, and God knows that you never should have to do this, but Derek has made that impossible. So you have to choose."_

"_Lexie…"_

…

"_You, I choose you. It will always be you, Lex."_

…

"_You…you see a future for us?"_

"_I can see a forever for us."_

…

"_Mark, I love you."_

"_Oh Lexie, I love you too."_

…

"_I want to have a baby with you."_

…

_"I didn't think this was possible."_

_"What?"_

_"I want you even more now."_

…

"_I could never imagine being anyone else's Lexie. I love you." _

"_God, I love you. You're everything, Lex. Just everything."_

…

"_No, you don't get kisses when you leave me in the middle of the night. My kisses are for girlfriends who stay right here."_

…

_"I love you, Lexie."_

…

All those remembrances came at her in a rush. As if they were happening at this very moment. But all of those memories felt like nothing but intangibles as Lexie watched in horror as a pickup truck slammed into the side of her car.

She had no time to think, but her lips did form one word.

_Mark.

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_**Review!**_  
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	18. Chapter 18

**Happy New Year's Eve Everyone! Well, I am sure none of you are surprised that tonight's chapter is rather brief. I am hard at work at the next couple which, as I am sure you can guess, are the really emotional ones and will take most of my time. In the meantime, here is the next chapter to get you through.**

**Also, I want to say something because I got a very lovely private message about my story. The author of it said that I needn't worry because Mark seemed in character to her. Now, this subject has been one of great debate even with myself as I write. Is Mark truly in character? The answer, of course, is no. The character of Mark is solely dependent on what we see on the show. And as Mark has not been in a longer relationship on the show, any idea of what Mark will be like in one (a relationship) is purely speculation. Therefore, of course he is not in character. This story is merely my speculation on what he would be like in a relationship with Lexie. Now, I happen to think that he has it in him to be the character I have written, but that is strictly within my story. As for the show, my Mark cannot exist yet because his and Lexie's love story on Grey's is just beginning. I like to think though, that there is an element of Mark in my portrayl of him that makes him seem recognizable to my readers.**

**Anyway, getting off my soapbox, I hope you enjoy! **

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Meredith sat at her kitchen table sipping the coffee that Izzie had set before her. Her head was pounding and her mind was fuzzy, but she took sip after sip, trying to find her way back to sobriety.

"Why didn't you call me?" Izzie asked. "I would have come to get you. There was no need for Lexie to go to all that trouble."

"Oh, I am sure she didn't mind," Meredith said.

Izzie looked skeptical, but said nothing.

"Besides," Meredith said, "I thought you and Alex were going to get together and…talk."

Izzie shrugged. "What is there to say? He wants me to have the surgery and fix the bulging vein in my brain. I would rather not. Talk over."

Meredith thought to herself that she was too drunk to be having this conversation. "Izzie, you need to do all you can to get well."

"Why?" She shook her blond curls. "I am only seeing my dead fiancée, whom I know is dead, so I don't see what the problem is. It is not like I don't know I am seeing things. As long as it doesn't affect the medicine, I don't see the harm."

"You are lucky," Meredith said. "Any other hospital would refuse to let you practice until you get it fixed."

"Well, the Chief knows it is not dangerous."

"Not to anyone but you," Meredith muttered.

"Feeling more sober?" Izzie asked.

"Somewhat," Meredith responded. "I am still a little woozy."

"You'll be better soon," Izzie chirped, being all bright and shiny.

"Oh, I am in hell," Meredith said, putting her head on the counter.

Their pagers went off then. Izzie looked at hers and frowned. "It's all hands on deck. There must be a lot of car accidents because of this rain."

"I can't go to work like this," Meredith said.

"Looks like it's another banana bag for you," Izzie said with a laugh.

"Great."

Izzie helped her up from the stool, and they walked into the hall. "Alex!" Izzie called up the stairs. "We are heading into the hospital!"

"Me too," he yelled back, coming down the stairs as he pulled a sweater over his head. "Wow," he said, when he saw Meredith. "You look like crap."

"Little voices please," Meredith said, swaying as she stood there.

Izzie and Alex laughed, and the three of them head out into the night.

***

"Tell me who she is."

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"You are no fun," Derek said to Mark as they drove to the hospital in his sports car. "Why won't you make my night a little brighter and tell me who she is?"

"Well, when you put it that way…"

"Yes?"

"No," Mark said, causing Derek to sigh with frustration. Mark grinned to himself. Despite the fact that this was a dangerous situation, he sort of loved goading Derek the way they used to.

"Whoever she is, I need to know," Derek said.

"Why?"

"Because I need to write the Pope and tell him I have a candidate for sainthood."

"Haha," Mark muttered. "How do you not know that I am the one who is a saint for putting up with her?"

Derek scratched his chin. "Are you?"

"No," Mark said with a laugh. "She is the saintly one."

"Give me a hint."

"No."

"Please."

"No."

"It could be my Christmas present, which by the way, I'm still waiting for."

"First, Christmas was two months ago, second, I got you a present."

"Tickets to a Mariners game, big deal. I want info."

"You are such a girl," Mark said, rolling his eyes. "No means no, Derek."

Derek crossed his arms. "Spoilsport."

"You know it."

Temporarily stymied, Derek crossed his arms watching as Mark's low slung car zoomed across the wet pavement. "You drive too fast."

"Well gee Mom, I didn't know you cared," Mark said sarcastically.

"Well, you do."

Mark grinned, happy to have his friend back even if it was just for a moment.

***

Cristina yawned as she stood in the ER, waiting for something to happen. She had been the first to get here, probably because she had been in the steam room with Owen. She had started going there a lot; it was a nice diversion from her life to have it there. Sometimes she went with him, sometimes without. But that little room had changed her life completely. It started out simple. One kiss here, then another there. Before she knew it, she and Owen were up against the wall and steam wasn't the only thing that was rising.

He was in surgery now, and Cristina couldn't help but think that the ER was lonely without him there. She was used to seeing his determined face as she worked on a patient.

Bailey came up and stood beside her. "There are two ambulances inbound. Car accident."

Cristina nodded, and knotted the ties on the back of her yellow smock.

It was time to get to work.

***

The headlights, which had shined so brightly in her eyes, were out now. The remainder of them had scattered on the pavement along with crushed metal and broken glass. The rain continued to fall out side of the car, and now part of it was falling within the car as well. Lexie could feel it on her face, but she couldn't seem to summon the strength to open her eyes or to lift her hand to brush the drops of water away.

Everything seemed hazy as she was held in place by the seat belt. She was dangling, so the car must have been on its side or upside down, but Lexie couldn't be sure. When she was finally able to open her eyes, the lights were so bright that she slammed them shut again.

She moaned, and then struggled to open them again. The streetlights looked as though they had fuzzy blankets draped over them, and the rain seemed to be reflecting all of it.

_"Miss! Are you okay? Can you hear me?"_

Lexie knew someone was trying to talk to her, but she couldn't seem to put her thoughts together well enough to speak. What had happened? She tried to go back, to even five seconds before, but it was all blank. She had been trying to get home, home to Mark, and then…

_"I am calling an ambulance!"_

She could smell something. There was an odor that was permeating through the air of the call. What was it? It was a coppery, tangy smell. Lexie pried her eyes open yet again and looked down at her body. She suddenly felt a pain in her side that she hadn't noticed before, and a stabbing sensation in her back and chest. Lexie slowly dragged her hand down to her waist, and when she pulled it back, it was covered in a dark, shiny liquid.

It was her blood.

_"There on their way! Just hold on!"_

Lexie started to drift off again. As her mind cleared out, she thought of Nick, that patient of hers who had bled out with her hands on his neck. There had been blood everywhere and at the time Lexie had never seen so much that it had scared her. She was a doctor, she knew what all this blood on her hands meant.

She had an hour, maybe a little longer.

She wasn't going to make it.

Lexie wanted to protest; she wanted to open her mouth to speak and yell. This wasn't fair, she was still so young. She had meant to do so much more! She had never seen China, and walked on the Great Wall. She had never preformed a solo surgery, well, a successful one anyway. She had never married Mark.

Mark. There was so much that they hadn't had a chance to do. Lexie's scattered thoughts wondered if he had known how much she wanted to be his wife. How much she had wanted 'forever' with him.

She had never had children, and she had wanted them, so badly. She had wanted four, two boys and two girls. She had wanted to see them grow old, and marry themselves.

She wanted to open her mouth to yell at the unfairness of it all, but she could not. She could not, for the darkness was beckoning to her. It was calling her name, just as surely as if it knew her. She was not long for this world; she knew that.

_"Just hold on!"_

But it was too late.

The darkness was calling.

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Review!


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello all! Well, here it is, the chapter you all have been waiting for. Thank you to Lattelady for the amazing beta job she did! All mistakes are mine.  
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There was some measure of satisfaction that Miranda Bailey always got from a good car accident. Or at least there had been, once upon a time. Before her husband had almost been killed, car accidents had made her feel in her element. After Tucker nearly died though, she could hardly stomach them. And they occurred all too frequently. It only added to the general exhaustion she felt constantly these days. But she had to force that from her mind now, because on a night like tonight, there would be no shortage of car accidents.

And she was right; all evening there had been a steady stream of them coming in along with doctors who were testy that they had to return on their nights off. When Mark Sloan and Derek Shepherd had come in, Bailey rolled her eyes and walked over to them.

"For the last time, let it go, Derek," Mark was saying.

"Why won't you tell me who it is?" Derek replied, his curiosity present in his voice.

"What does it matter? What satisfaction will you have from knowing?"

"Why are you being so evasive?" Derek asked with a laugh.

"Who, me?" Mark replied innocently.

Bailey had enough. "Dr. Shepherd, Dr. Sloan. So nice of you to join us this evening."

"What do you mean?" Derek grumbled. "I was here less than an hour ago."

Bailey lifted an eyebrow. "Your point being? I have been here for forty-five hours straight."

"No point," Derek hastily said.

Mark smirked. Derek never knew when to be quiet in front of Bailey. "You paged us, Dr. Bailey?"

She nodded and looked at Mark. "We have a major accident that just came in. Some fool got drunk and ran a red light. His daughter was in the car and she burned her arm when the airbag went off. It's pretty bad. Trauma 3," Bailey said, as she turned to Derek. "The father has a concussion, with blurred vision and speech impairment. I need you to check him out."

"Because of the alcohol?" Derek asked.

Bailey put her hands on her hips. "You think I don't know the difference between a drunken man and a man with speech impairment?"

Derek swallowed. "Of course not, Dr. Bailey."

Mark choked back a laugh, and then winked at Derek as he walked away. "See you later."

"I still want to know!" Derek yelled, but Mark waved him off as he left.

"Trauma 2," Bailey said to Derek. She then paused.

Derek nodded, and started muttering to himself, "I _will_ find out who he is living with."

Bailey paused. "Did you just say Dr. Sloan is living with someone?"

"Yeah, and he won't tell me who," Derek said as he walked over to the trauma room with Bailey on his heels.

She shook her head. "You mean you don't know?"

"No, I don't—" He paused. "Do you mean you know?"

"Course I do," Bailey said. "I know everything that goes on in this hospital."

"I'll remember that," Derek said. "So who is it? That Derm Nurse who started here a couple months ago?"

The look on her face could only be described as incredulous disbelief. "You know, for a brain surgeon you don't pay attention to details."

"What does that mean?" Derek asked.

Bailey opened her mouth to answer when her pager went off. "Gotta go," She muttered.

Derek shook his head and walked into the trauma room. Izzie Stevens was running tests on the patient's responses with the help of one of her interns. After she quickly told him what was going on, Derek stood in front of the patient, who was sitting up. "Hello Mr. Zelnick, I am Dr. Shepherd. Dr. Stevens tells me you are having trouble speaking."

"It could be an effect of the concussion," Izzie said. "But I wanted to be sure."

Derek nodded, checking the patient's pupils for response. "You did the right thing."

The patient, who had been quiet until now, mumbled something. "Ta gurrrr."

Derek looked at him in confusion. "I am sorry, what did you say?"

"Tha gurrrrl," the patient said with more emphasis.

"Oh, your daughter?" Derek asked. "She is being examined by Dr. Sloan at the moment."

"No," the patient said. "Tha gurl ah hit."

Derek looked down in surprise. "You hit a girl? A young woman?"

Mr. Zelnick nodded. "Wif ma car."

Derek looked at Izzie. "Did the EMT mention anything about another car in the accident?"

Izzie shook her head. "I better go ask Dr. Bailey if there is another ambulance coming."

She opened the door to the room, but she stopped in surprise when she saw Bailey, Yang, and Alex all running for the doors of the emergency room.

Bailey ran without thinking, rushing to meet the ambulance as she tied a new yellow smock behind her neck. Alex and Christina followed suit.

"This one is mine Karev," Cristina snarled.

"You wish," Alex fired back.

"Stop it, both of you," Bailey snapped as the ambulance came rushing up to the entrance. As soon as it stopped, the doors flew open and two EMTs lowered the stretcher to the floor. They were moving quickly into the ER; their jackets had blood on them.

"What do we have?" Bailey asked, running next to the stretcher.

"Car accident. We managed to stabilize her in the field, but she had lost a lot of blood."

Bailey gasped when she saw who was lying on the stretcher with a neck brace holding her head in place.

"Page the chief," she said to a shocked Cristina. "And Dr. Hunt."

"He…he's in surgery," Cristina stuttered.

"Well, pull him out!" Bailey yelled. "Everybody move!"

The stretcher was quickly moved into Trauma 1, with no delay as Bailey began barking orders to the unlucky nurses on the floor. When some interns who had been doing scut wandered over, Bailey snapped, "No interns," and closed the door.

"Alex," Izzie said, from the door of Trauma 2, "What's going on?"

"They've rushed in the person from the other car." Alex said quickly. "The one your patient hit."

Izzie looked confused. "Why is Bailey acting so…"

Alex opened the door to Trauma 1. "Because it's Lexie Grey."

She gasped.

"The patient is Lexie Grey," Alex repeated.

***

Bailey worked furiously, trying to divorce her mind from thinking about who was lying on the table. Soon, she and Alex were rejoined by Cristina, who got to work quickly.

"There are a couple of broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder here," Alex said, "Not to mention the internal bleeding."

"Get her typed and crossed and have them release O neg from the emergency blood supply." Bailey snapped, trying to staunch the blood, though she couldn't figure out where it was coming from.

"Her pressure's falling and she's getting tachycardic." Cristina said, watching the monitors and carefully observing Lexie's heart rate and rhythm. She looked down at Lexie's face, and tried not to feel anxious that her intern was now her patient. For all her brusque behavior, Cristina really liked Lexie and it killed her that she was on her table. It was all too familiar, too intense.

"What do we have?" The Chief asked, as he burst into the room, followed by Owen Hunt and Derek Shepherd.

"It's Lexie Grey, sir," Bailey said, as she then filled him in on all the details.

Their little motley crew worked quietly for the next ten minutes, trying to stabilize Lexie.

"Karev, get an OR ready. Tell them we are coming right up. Yang, page Dr. Torres," Richard said. "We need to get her shoulder set." Alex and Cristina scurried out of the room quickly and did just that.

Soon, Callie was stepping into the room with Cristina and Sadie on her heels.

"What do we…Oh, my God," Callie said, rushing over to the table. "What happened?"

"She was hit by a drunk driver," Bailey said. "Set the shoulder before surgery."

Callie nodded, and with Sadie's help, she had it back in place with a sickening cracking sound. She then stepped back, moving with Sadie towards the door.

"She was fine earlier," Sadie said. "What was she doing out on a night like this?"

Callie shook her head, not knowing how to respond. Lexie Grey was one of the good ones.

They were about to leave when suddenly, Sadie's stricken eyes flew to hers. "Has anyone told Dr. Sloan?"

Callie looked at her in horror. "Dr. Shepherd," she said quickly, looking at Derek who was checking Lexie's vitals.

"Dr. Shepherd!"

Derek looked up from Lexie's still form. "What?" He snapped.

"Have you told Dr. Sloan that Lexie is here?" Callie asked, her voice tremulous and anxious.

Derek shook his head in confusion. "No, why?"

"Dr. Shepherd," Sadie said slowly, wringing her hands much like Callie was, "We need to page Dr. Sloan immediately."

The Chief looked up, and then swore. "I will," he said.

"He's just next door," Derek said, still not understanding.

"I'll go," Callie said, quietly. She left the room, and as she walked over to the other trauma room, where she could see Mark through the window, her feet dragged with every step. She paused outside the door, watching as Mark was laughing with a little girl who didn't look much older than seven. He had just finished wrapping her arm when Callie stepped inside.

"Mark," she said hoarsely.

He looked up. "Ah, Dr. Torres. What can I do for you?" His voice was full of good humor, and he didn't seem to notice the pallor of Callie's face. "My patient here was just telling me about a trip she took to New York a couple months ago for Christmas with her family."

Callie shook her head, trying to find a way to tell him. "You need to come to Trauma 1, the patient…" she trailed off, struggling to keep her voice from trembling.

"Do you need a consult?" He asked, smiling.

"Mark…" Callie tried to find the words. "Mark, it's Lexie."

He frowned, but didn't seem concerned. "Lexie wants to see me? She was paged?"

"No…Lexie is in trauma 1. There was a car accident."

Mark's face drained of color, and then suddenly he was rushing past her and running the short distance to the first trauma room. Yanking open the door, he flew into the room. "What happened?" He yelled at the Chief as he rushed to Lexie's head, cradling her skull in his hands.

"She was hit by a drunk driver," Derek responded, surprised by his friends actions.

"Dr. Sloan," the Chief said, "You need to wait outside."

"I'm not leaving her," Mark growled.

Alex came running into the room at that moment. "OR 1 is ready."

The Chief opened his mouth to respond when every alarm on Lexie's monitor went off. Her pressure was so low that the sensitive machine was having trouble registering it. The pulse-ox that measure the oxygen level in her blood was dropping fast and as her heart rate sped up she was throwing odd rhythms. "We're losing her," he said.

Between Derek and Callie, they managed to drag Mark out of the room. He watched through the glass as the heart of the most important person in his life sputtered alone, fighting to keep beating.

"Come on, Lex." Mark said, whispering encouragement to her failing rhythm. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Bailey charging the paddles, but his main focus was the monitor, willing it to change for the better.

Derek put his hand on Mark's shoulder, but Mark shook it off. He didn't understand.

"Stand clear," Miranda called out as she stepped to the bed. But before she could do anything more, the jagged shark tooth pattered of v-fib, suddenly stopped and the room was filled with a high-pitched sound that told them, without looking, that Lexie Grey's heart was in asystole, no electrical activity, no cardiac activity, no blood being pumped to vital organs.

Her heart had stopped.

"No!" Mark yelled, causing Derek to once again restrain him as he tried to go back in the room.

"No, no, no, no, don't you dare do this," Bailey whispered, as if she were trapped in a horrible memory. She gripped the handles of the paddles in tight fists as her eyes met the Chief's. They were suddenly reminded of another Dr. Grey lying on that very table, in that very room. And as their eyes met in that moment, Bailey felt a brief flash of pain. She hated that this was her job; that she had to watch people die on her table. And she hated that no matter how hard she tried, sometimes she wasn't able to save them all.

Derek hadn't stopped Mark from struggling, but the sight of Cristina and Hunt moving towards Lexie's still form caused him to freeze. Mark made an inarticulate sound in his throat as he watched Hunt begin to perform chest compressions. Cristina was squeezing the bag for him. They worked as a team to keep Lexie alive.

"Mark," Callie said, "Maybe you shouldn't watch."

Mark dragged his gaze away from Lexie, and Callie felt as though she had just been punched when she looked into his eyes. She had never seen such utter despair before.

"What's going on?" Meredith asked, coming up to stand next to Derek with a banana bag attached to her through an IV which she dragged along.

Derek looked at her, but could find no words.

"It's Lexie," Mark said, finding the words which had seemed lost to his friend.

She gave a small cry, and watched Hunt and Cristina work on Lexie. Meredith wanted to say more, to ask questions, but something about the look on Derek's face stopped her. And the look on Mark's made her feel as though she was missing some vital piece of knowledge.

They stood there for a while, that little group, watching the drama play out on the other side of the glass.

As they watched, Mark's reaction told Derek more than ever could have. It was Lexie. Lexie was the one.

A second unit of blood was hung and then a third. Sweat broke out on Hunt's forehead as ten minutes dragged to twenty and then thirty. His compressions were forcing Lexie's heart to work and he was going to make damn sure there was something for it to pump.

"Hunt," Richard said, stepping forward. "Let me take over."

"I've got it," Owen snapped, his voice tense but concentrated.

Bailey had been giving cardiac drugs to encourage the electrical nodes to function, to encourage a beat, any beat that would show that there was life still left in Lexie. She couldn't reconcile the perky intern who had followed George around, to this still body before her.

Meredith didn't know why, but tears were streaming down her face. All of her drunkenness was gone. Soon they were joined by Sadie who stood on the other side of Mark, rubbing his back much in the same way that Callie was.

Mark died a thousand times in those long minutes. It felt to him as if the weight of the world hung in the balance, and all he could do was watch as someone else took Lexie's life in their hands.

There was nothing left for him to do but wait.

The activity continued in the trauma room until Richard stepped forward, causing Mark's breath to catch in his throat.

"Hunt," Richard said, his voice audible due to the door Sadie had left open. "Call it."

Owen looked at the Chief, and his movements stilled. His eyes reflected the weight of yet another death he had witnessed. He and Cristina stepped back from the table.

His voice rasped as he spoke.

"Time of death, 0243h."

Callie felt as though her heart had stopped as well, and the utter sorrow she felt was for the man standing next to her. She turned to say something to him, but he was no longer there.

Mark rushed into the room "Why are you stopping? It's only been an hour." He looked at Bailey and the Chief with betrayal in his eyes. "My god, you worked on Meredith for three times that long!" He yelled, moving over to the table, and resuming the compressions that Owen had stopped. "She's not dead, she can't be dead!"

Derek followed him into the room, and moved to stand by his friend, but the wild look in Mark's eyes kept him frozen by the door.

His hands started a steady movement. One and two and three and four and five. He soon found himself lost in the rhythm. "Come on, Lex, wake up, ya gotta wake up."

Cristina, at a loss, stepped forward and continued to pump air into Lexie's lungs.

"Dr. Sloan," Richard said, stepping forward to stop him, but Bailey held out her arm to block him.

"Let's go, Lexie," Mark said. One and two and three and four and five. "Wake up. Come on, wake up!" His voice, which had been cajoling before, had now started to take on a frantic note. "Wake up, Lexie! You promised!"

As Derek watched Mark frantically trying to prolong Lexie's life, a saddening realization crept in. He now remembered with perfect clarity that night in Meredith's house when he had caught Mark and Lexie on the floor together.

_"I remember asking you to stay away from her, Mark."_

_"Derek, you don't understand—"_

He _hadn't_ understood. Derek now saw what he had missed. He wasn't just sleeping with Lexie, and he wasn't just living with her. His best friend was in love with Lexie Grey. He felt a hand take his own, and he looked down to see Meredith standing there crying silently. She seemed to see what she had missed as well. They squeezed each other's hands tightly, and Derek wondered if she too was remembering when it had been her on that table.

Watching his best friend now, brought it all back. The despair, the agony, and the utter helplessness that he had felt. Had he too been so desperate?

He also remembered the way that Mark had sat by his side, just being there and giving him the support he needed. But Derek couldn't do that right now. At this very moment, he could only watch his best friend fall apart in front of him.

"You can't leave me, Lexie!" Mark said, his compressions continuing. One and two and three and four and five. "You promised me forever! You promised! Please, Lexie! Don't leave me!" Tears were running unchecked down his face as he tried so desperately to keep the blood flowing through her body. Sobs were racking him, but he didn't stop. "I love you, Lexie! You can't leave, we just got started!"

A small, but silent crowd of people had begun to gather outside the room. A couple of nurses stood there, along with Lexie's fellow interns. Alex was now standing by Izzie who had come from her patient's room to watch. Sadie was resting her head on Callie's shoulder and crying, and Bailey had a hand covering her mouth trying to hold back her own sobs which were threatening to erupt.

They weren't crying just for Lexie though. But Mark as well. To see him as he tried to revive her was to watch a man having his heart ripped out right before them.

His movements were controlled, but his face was showing the very powerlessness that he felt. If there was anyone standing there who had ever doubted that Mark Sloan had the ability to love, that thought was forever banished as he desperately tried to bring Lexie back to him.

Most of them didn't even process the shock of the fact that Mark Sloan was in love with Lexie Grey. All they saw was a man who was desperately in love, trying to save his beloved's life.

"Lex, please!" He cried desperately. "You said forever! You promised me forever! I love you, Lexie!" One and two and three and four and five. "Wake up! Come back to me!"

His voice was growing hoarse, and his hands were shaking as he continued to try to bring life back into her body.

She was growing paler, and Derek knew he had to act. He dropped Meredith's hand, and met her wet eyes. She knew what he had to do, and sobs began to escape her mouth. Stepping forward, he took Mark's bicep in his hand. "Mark, you have to stop."

"No," Mark said, shaking his head, past reason. "She just needs a second. Come on, sweetheart, open your eyes for me! You can't leave me! Lex, please!"

"Mark," Derek said, tentatively. "She's gone."

"Damn you," Mark said. "She isn't!" He was sobbing and choking on his words. "WAKE UP, LEXIE!" He hoarsely screamed out the last part.

Derek took Mark's other arm. "It's okay," he murmured. He began to pull him away from her still body.

Mark suddenly ripped out of his grasp and slammed his fist down hard on Lexie's chest.

The cardiac monitor beeped once and everyone held their breath. It beeped again and then again. The rhythm was slow, but it was real and it was there.

Lexie's heart was pumping on its own.

Bailey and Richard moved forward as her pulse-ox jumped to life and her rate increased and became regular.

"She's back," Dr. Bailey said in shock.

Mark moved above her head and leaned down, kissing her forehead. "Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you, God." The tears were still running unchecked down his face. Derek wondered if his friend even knew they were there. "Thank you."

"We have to get her into surgery immediately," Richard said. "Sloan, do you understand? You have to let go."

Mark kissed her and whispered his thanks one more time, and stepped back as they wheeled Lexie out of the room. He followed the gurney as far as he could, but eventually he just couldn't go any further. Slumping against the wall, Mark slid down and cradled his knees. Then, no longer fighting for Lexie's life, he gave into the wave of grief which suddenly consumed him.

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	20. Chapter 20

**Hello all! I want to thank everyone for your wonderful responses! I was smiling all day because of them. As promised, here is the next chapter. I want to once again thank Lattelady for her wonderful job as a beta! All mistakes and errors are mine.**

**Enjoy!**

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Mark Sloan's whole body was shaking. It seemed to start at his chest and continue to his legs which were curled up against him, his eyes resting on the caps of his knees. As Derek watched him, he tried to remember the last time he had seen his friend cry. It wasn't something he could remember off hand and seeing it now, as his friend's chest heaved in spurts, made him feel very young again.

"Derek," Meredith said, coming up next to him as he stood in the hall watching Mark. Her banana bag was gone, and her face was red from the tears she had shed.

"Are you okay?" Derek asked, looking at her with concern.

"I'm fine," Meredith said, giving him a tremulous smile that made him want to grit his teeth.

"That was your sister on the table," Derek said.

"I hardly know her," Meredith replied, her words belying the way she had felt when she had seen Lexie.

Derek shook his head. "Meredith, I know you might not want to talk about it. I know you have already lost so many—"

"Did you know about them?" Meredith cut in, inclining her head towards Mark.

Derek turned to look at his friend, who was still sitting there crying. "Not that they were in love, no."

"But you knew they were together?" Meredith asked, her voice sounding betrayed.

"No, I knew he was living with someone…I found out tonight. I didn't know it was Lexie."

"Well, maybe it isn't Lexie he is living with," Meredith said quietly. "This is Mark Sloan, after all."

Derek turned to her with shock on his face, not noticing the utter hurt that had caused Meredith to say it. "How can you say that? After what we just saw?"

Meredith immediately regretted those words; she couldn't believe she had said them. She didn't even _mean_ them. "Derek, I—"

"Save it," he snapped. "I have to go; my best friend needs me."

Meredith watched with tears in her eyes as Derek went and sat next to Mark, and she wondered how she had missed such an important event in her sister's life. Mark Sloan had fallen in love with her sister, and she hadn't even noticed.

***

There was no feeling in the world like this. The utter helplessness, the pain, the despair; it all seemed to wrap around him and squeeze him from the inside out. The way she had looked, the lifelessness of her body, it haunted him. Mark kept seeing it over and over, and hearing the shrieking sound of the monitors when her heart had stopped. How had this happened? It had been just hours ago that they had been wrapped up in each other's arms, safe and together. But now, that seemed like a lifetime ago.

Mark's tears soaked into his dark blue scrubs. His hands were holding tightly to his legs, and his fingers were digging into the skin of his calves, but he hardly noticed. His own pain did not even cross his mind as he thought of what he had seen.

That wasn't Lexie. There was no similarity in that lifeless body to the bright and happy woman who had stolen his heart. Perhaps that was what worried Mark most of all. If she woke up, no, when she woke up, there was a very real chance that she wouldn't be his Lexie any more. And that thought haunted him as he remembered a conversation he had with her.

_  
"I am always your Lexie. At home, in the hospital, at Joe's, everywhere. I'll always be your Lexie."_

_"Always? You can't know that."_

_"I can."_

Mark sobbed even harder now as he remembered her words. Lexie had been so certain, so positive that they would have a future together. She was like that, all eternal optimism and quiet conviction. She didn't deserve this. She had done nothing more than take a chance on him, even when all common logic said that he was a bad risk.

She was all loveliness and goodness, and Mark wished that he had been able to communicate that to her more.

He heard Derek sit down next to him, and when he did, he lifted his tear drenched eyes to look at his best friend. Mark had a stab of déjà vu in that moment, recalling when it had been Derek sitting on the floor and crying because of his Grey woman nearing death. The only difference was that Lexie's recovery was much less certain.

Mark felt his sobs begin to ease as Derek sat next to him, but the tears didn't stop. They ran unchecked down Mark's face as they sat there. Mark lifted his head from his knees and leaned it back against the wall, staring up at the lights in the ceiling.

"I don't know what to say," Derek murmured, his tone conveying his compassion.

There was nothing to say, that was the problem. There were no words of comfort that Mark wanted to hear. There was nothing that would ease the feeling of defeat in his heart, and there were no words that would chase away the time as he waited for Lexie to get out of surgery.

Mark's voice sounded rusty to his ears as he said, "Then don't say anything."

"Okay," Derek responded, just sitting there with him as he waited. They were silent for a while, letting the dull hum of the hospital take over.

Derek tried to think of a million things to say to make his friend feel better, but he came up with nothing. Mark, on the other hand, was silently finding a multitude of reasons that he was to blame for Lexie's accident. It curled up like a snake inside of him as he thought of all the ways he could have changed things so that this was not the outcome of the evening. Each possibility he played over and over in his mind. Just one alteration to the night, and how it could have spared Lexie the pain she was in now.

"This is all my fault," Mark finally burst out, sobs taking him over once more.

"What do you mean? A drunk driver hit her, Mark. You had nothing to do with that." Derek looked at him with confusion in his eyes.

"I should have stopped her. I should have gone to pick up Meredith in her place."

"What?" Derek said quietly. "She went to pick up Meredith?"

Mark nodded. "It was raining, and I shouldn't have let her go. I should have gone in her place or grabbed the phone and yelled at Yang to take her home herself. But I didn't. I was so obsessed with damn secrecy that…" His voice trembled as he struggled to speak. "Lexie is on that table in the OR because of me."

"No," Derek said firmly. "That is not true."

"It is," Mark said. "I wouldn't even kiss her goodbye. She…she might…die, and I didn't…kiss her goodbye." His voice broke on the last word and he couldn't say anymore.

Derek didn't know what his friend meant, but it was obvious to him that he loved Lexie. Why they had felt the need to keep this a secret was beyond Derek, but he didn't doubt the sincerity of what was felt. Derek could not see how his behavior had forced them to stay quiet, but he felt for his friend all the same. "Mark," Derek said quietly. "I am sure Lexie knew how you felt."

Mark nodded. "I know that, I know that…it is just hard to believe it at the moment. I tried, Derek. I tried so fucking hard not to be selfish with her, and the last thing I said, the last thing she remembers, is me being selfish."

"Did she say that?" Derek asked. "Did she say you were selfish? Did you fight?"

"No," Mark said, shaking his head. "She just laughed."

"You see?" Derek asked. "She didn't think you were being selfish."

"She just laughed," Mark repeated, speaking as though he hadn't heard Derek. "And she said 'See you soon.'"

Neither of them said anything, both staring straight ahead, their arms draped over their legs.

"Someone needs to call Thatcher," Mark finally said.

"I'll do it," Derek offered. "That is, if the nurses haven't already done it."

Mark nodded his thanks.

"It will be alright Mark."

"Don't say that," Mark responded.

"Why not?" Derek asked.

"Cause you and I both know that it might _not_ be alright." He took a shuddering breath. "Just don't say that, okay?"

"Okay."

***

Derek sat with Mark for hours without speaking. They eventually moved into the waiting room, where they waited for periodic updates from Bailey. Initially, she came to tell them that Lexie was stable, and then she stopped coming for a while. Derek tried to tell Mark that it meant they were working hard, but Mark was a surgeon, and he convinced himself that it was a bad sign.

Thatcher had been notified, so had Molly, and they were going to be there as soon as they could. Molly had to wait for a sitter, and Thatcher couldn't come without her.

Derek finally got up from where he sat with his friend to go get them some coffee, and it was while he was gone that Bailey came out to talk to Mark.

Her step was heavy as she walked the short distance from the swinging doors to where Mark was sitting. He stood when he saw her, his mouth tense and his posture seeming as though he had prepared himself for the worse.

"How is she?" Mark asked, when Bailey came up.

Bailey held up her hand. "She's still intubated, so she went directly to the ICU." She paused, and Mark was quick to pick up on it.

"What aren't you telling me?" Mark could read it in her eyes, there was more and he knew he wasn't going to like it.

"We still can't figure out how it happened." Bailey said. "There were no tears on her clothes or skin, though she was plenty bruised. The Chief said he's seen it before when a patient takes the brunt of the impact just right. Lexie's was on her left side. That's where the broken ribs and dislocated shoulder were located." Bailey knew she'd lost her detachment when she couldn't just tell him the facts.

"Dr. Bailey, what are you trying to say?" Mark was quickly losing his patience.

She took a deep breath and said, "Somehow her left kidney was badly damaged. That was where all the bleeding was coming from... we ended up having to do a total nephrectomy on that side...she lost the kidney."

In his mind, Mark knew what this meant. Plenty of people walked around with only one kidney and led normal healthy lives, but he still asked, "Will she be okay?"

"She's in Cardiac ICU and the anesthesiologist doesn't want to attempt extubation until he is sure she's stable, so probably tomorrow morning or mid-day." Bailey's eyes showed the compassion that her brusque words did not. "She was down a long time, Dr. Sloan, but she's a Grey." Bailey knew Mark understood what she meant.

Mark nodded, tears pooling in his eyes again. "I want to see her."

"They're getting her settled in. She can have family visit in a couple of hours." Bailey's tone was apologetic.

"Dr. Bailey," Mark said, his voice trembling. "You saved Lexie's life, and I am grateful for that. So don't think I don't respect you when I ask if you are out of your mind?" Mark wiped his cheeks. "Nothing is going to keep me from seeing her, do you understand? Especially not some stupid rule that I know for a fact is crap."

Bailey nodded, not taking offense. "Give us an hour, and then you can see her."

As she walked away, Mark sank back into his chair and covered his face with his hands. For the second time that night, he thanked a God he did not believe in for saving Lexie's life.

***

The coffee was horrible, but that was no real surprise to Derek. He was used to drinking the sludge that they served at the hospital. He didn't really want coffee anyway, and he doubted that Mark did either. What he wanted was employment. Other than Izzie Stevens coming by at one point to tell him his patient's scans came back normal, Derek had done nothing. And that was not like him. He was a fixer; a man, by nature, who liked to correct things, to right imbalances. But there was nothing he could do to right this wrong.

Lexie's fate was left to someone else entirely.

So he was getting coffee. It was all he could do for Mark, but he was glad to do it.

"Hey."

Derek turned and saw Meredith standing there. "Hi," he said.

"I wanted to…apologize," Meredith said, finding the last word difficult to say.

"Okay."

"Okay, what?" Meredith said.

"Okay, apologize," Derek replied.

"I'm sorry I said that about Mark. He probably didn't deserve it."

Derek's eyebrows shot up. "Unbelievable. You can't even apologize without being…"

"Being what?" Meredith asked, stepping forward.

"Being disconnected. Being insulting."

"Why are you defending him?" Meredith asked. "I know I was out of line, but you must admit that the idea was not a crazy one."

"You are right," Derek said. "It was out of line. You know what I have spent the last five hours doing?"

She shook her head.

"I have been trying to remember the last time that I saw him cry." Derek shook his head, his voice getting thick. "Believe me, Meredith, Mark has had many reasons to cry over the years and yet I can't remember any time that he actually did. The only time I can actually remember is when he was smacked with a hockey stick on his nose when we were eight. And even that was only because he was surprised." Derek looked at her, willing her to understand. "But this? The way that he is over your sister? I have no idea what to even make of it. Nothing in our friendship has ever prepared me for it, and I feel useless right now. I have never seen Mark like this before, and that alone is enough of a reason for me to give him the benefit of the doubt."

Meredith had an inscrutable look on her face. "But they both lied to us."

"I can let that go for now." Derek sighed.

"How? It is just one more thing that he has lied to you about," Meredith said, her voice sounded as though she was trying to understand.

"That is between Mark and me. It has nothing to do with this, and nothing to do with you. I have forgiven him, really and truly, and if some petty part of me was holding onto any anger, it is gone after tonight. So if he lied to me about Lexie, yeah, I am okay with letting it go. Later, I will want to know all the details and why, but not now."

"Why?"

"Cause your sister is lying on a table right now!" Derek exclaimed, looking at her with incredulity.

Meredith stared at him. "Because they lied."

"Meredith, that is not what is important at the moment."

"It is important," Meredith cried, tears filling her eyes as she finally let go of the grief that had been trapped inside of her and building since Lexie had been rushed to surgery. "If they hadn't been lying this might not have happened."

Derek felt a sick feeling in his gut as he thought of the way Mark had said that exact thing. "You can't blame him for this. Why would you even want to?"

Tears were streaming down Meredith's face in earnest. She took a shuddering breath and said, "Because if I don't blame him, because if I don't take out all my pain on him, then there is only one person left to blame."

"Who?" Derek asked, not following.

"Me, Derek. I am to blame." Meredith's hands were clutching the front of his shirt. "I was the reason she was out in the night and the rain. She came for me, Derek. For me!" Meredith was crying into his chest then. "And all she wanted was for me to be her sister, and I couldn't even give her that! What kind of person am I? She just wanted me to see her; she just wanted me to try!"

Derek held Meredith to him, rubbing her back up and down. "It's not too late, at least not yet. If…when Lexie wakes up, she will need someone Meredith. She will need you." Derek didn't necessarily believe his words, but he wanted to offer her any comfort that he could.

Meredith just cried harder, thinking of all the lost time. When she had finally gained control of herself, she just stood in his arms letting him hold her.

"Derek…" She finally said, her voice trailing off.

"Yeah?"

"What happens if she doesn't make it?"

"I don't know," Derek replied. "I just don't know."

That was a possibility he didn't even want to contemplate.

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	21. Chapter 21

**Hey Guys! Sorry for the short chapter tonight, a longer one will be yours tomorrow!**

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When Derek returned to the waiting area, Mark was pacing like a mad man. Derek felt his heart drop into his stomach, as he looked for some indication as to why Mark was so agitated.

"What happened?"

Mark turned to him, a wild look in his eyes. "She is in the ICU. Bailey is letting me go in for a few minutes."

Derek breathed a sigh of relief. "That's great. So she will be okay?"

Mark sat down heavily on one of the chairs, putting his head into his hands. "She lost a kidney, Derek. A mother-fucking kidney."

"People live full lives with only one—"

"Don't give me that bull, I know that. Do you think I don't know that?" Mark's breaths were heavy, and lacking in consistency. In fact, it seemed as though he was breathing without taking in any air. "That doesn't change the fact that she lost an organ. And blood. So much blood. How am I supposed to get over the fact that she almost died?"

"Do you want the standard answer?"

"How 'bout the truth," Mark said.

Derek shook his head, as if he were trying to clear his mind. "You won't get over it. Now, in the beginning it is fresh and new. It will drive you crazy if you let it. And when she wakes up you will feel as though every move she makes needs to be monitored and analyzed so that she is safe. Eventually, you will move that panic, that fear, to one small corner of your mind, but it will always be there, haunting you. When she is fifteen minutes late, when there is an accident nearby, when she wants to take a risk…you will never forget or get over it, but it does fade." Derek took a shuddering breath. "I am sorry to say that I know exactly how you feel. So I can be here for you…if you want."

"Sorry, no." Mark said, his eyes looking into Derek's. "You don't know how I feel." His voice contained some small challenge, as if he were daring Derek to test him.

"With Mere—"

"Meredith was, and is, the woman that you love," Mark replied. "So in that way, yes, you know what I am going through. But as for the rest, you really have no idea."

"I don't know what you mean," Derek said. "What 'rest'?"

"You have had a charmed life, Derek. Before Meredith, there were many other people who loved you. Your mom, your sisters, numerous girlfriends, Addison, they all would have lined up to take a bullet for you. And you don't know how lucky that makes you. But me, I have never had anyone. No one who ever saw any good in me and chose to love me."

"That's not true," Derek argued. "My mom—"

"Your mom loves me because of you, Derek," Mark said. "Perhaps that has changed now, but in the beginning that was certainly true. And I don't begrudge you any of it; don't think I do. It's just that I never had that. But Lexie…well, everything was different with her from the beginning. She came into my life and just exploded everything that I knew about relationships and love and what I was capable of. So yeah, Lexie is like how you feel about Meredith in that sense, but the difference is, is that Lexie is it for me Derek. She is the only person in the world who loves me, and she is the only person that _I_ have ever been able to trust enough to love."

Derek had never heard such words come out of his friend's mouth; he didn't know he was even capable of such feelings.

Mark continued, "So if I lose her, if this doesn't turn into the reunion that you and Meredith had, then that is it for me. I'm done; I'm out. I couldn't even begin to imagine living without her and I am not sure that I would even want to try. I think I could operate and do paperwork, and exist, but I would never want to feel anything again. So no, Derek, I don't think that you could, for even a moment, relate to what I am going through."

Derek opened his mouth, but then he closed it again. What was there to say?

"Dr. Sloan?" A nurse stood there, holding a clipboard. "Dr. Bailey sent me to take you back to see Dr. Grey."

Mark had lurched up from his seat when she had started speaking and followed after the ICU nurse as she led him through the corridor back to see Lexie.

Derek did not follow; he knew Mark wanted time alone with her. He wanted to deny to himself all that Mark had just said, but he knew he could not. Derek had been blessed with a wonderful support system that Mark had always wanted. Derek supposed that Lexie was his support system now. Derek only prayed that Mark did not have that taken away from him too.

***

After thanking the startled nurse, Mark opened the sliding glass door that served as the barrier to Lexie's room. From where he stood, he could see her chest rising up and down in a gentle rhythm, but that was not enough to assure him of her beating heart. Moving more fully into the room, Mark watched her monitors as if he was guarding against some horrible twist of fate. When nothing seemed awry, he dragged a chair over by Lexie's bed and sat down.

It was horrible to see he like this. She was still intubated; that tube sticking out of her mouth at an odd angle, dragging on her lips. And in addition to that, she was attached to wires all over her body, monitoring everything. Mark had a hard time seeing her connected to all those things, but it was her face that he had the hardest time looking at. It had now begun to swell, as purple bruises had finally decided to appear.

To Mark, each bruise was a symbol of how Lexie had suffered because of him. Though this reasoning made little sense, even to him, Mark felt guilt when he saw her face. She was in pain because of him. There was no other truth in his mind.

And yet in his mind, even with all the tubing and the wires and the bruises, Lexie was still the most beautiful woman in the world. It amazed him how she could, even recently, doubt her own beauty.

_"Will you still love me when I am old and wrinkly?"_

_Mark looked over at Lexie, who was propped up in their bed against the pillows reading a book and not even looking at him for an answer. "Is this a trick question?"_

_Lexie grinned, and put down her book, turning her brown eyes to him. "No, really, I want to know. You have seen a million faces, and you are a plastic surgeon. I want to know if you think it is possible to love someone when they have grown old."_

_Mark put down the medical journal he was holding and gave her his full attention. He sensed that this was one of those relationship tests that he had to pass. "I will still love you when you are old, Lexie."_

_"And wrinkly?" Lexie asked._

_"And wrinkly too," Mark agreed._

_"You won't want me to get surgery when I get to a certain age?"_

_Mark looked at her, genuinely shocked with what she was asking. "Why would you want to do that? You wouldn't be Lexie anymore."_

_She smiled. "I would, I would just be a younger, better version of me."_

_Mark shook his head. "Lex, it is not like that at all. People don't come to me when they like their lives. They come to me when they want to change. When they need some impetus to alter their existence." His eyes bore steadily into hers. "I wouldn't want you to take away any part of you that was part of making you the woman that I love."_

_"So when every part of me starts to sag, you are saying that it would be fine with you?" Her eyes were warm in contrast to her skeptical, if teasing, tone._

_"Lexie, our relationship has never been about just that. Had I wanted to use you and was this more shallow, then I would say do whatever you want. But that is not what we are about and never has been. I love you Lexie, and it was my great surprise when I realized that the thought of lifetime with you didn't scare me."_

_"What are you saying?" Lexie asked._

_"I am saying I want to grow old with you," Mark replied, coming as close as he ever had to proposing. "I want to see you at every stage of your life, unaltered." He then looked back down at his medical journal as if the matter had been settled._

_Lexie looked at him with surprise and pleasure on her face. "I love you, Mark Sloan," she said, picking up her book and beginning to read again._

_There was a pause, and then Mark smirked and said, "Besides, I think you are going to be hot when you are older."_

_Lexie snorted. "Women are never 'hot' when they are older, that is why we have to put up with such annoying sayings as 'ageing gracefully'." _

_"I dunno, I think most people age okay," Mark murmured._

_"That's easy for you to say," Lexie grumbled. "You will probably look like Sean Connery when you get older."_

_Mark just laughed, tossing the article aside and pinning Lexie beneath him. "Does that make you my Bond girl?" He asked, a wicked grin on his face._

_Lexie just shook her head. "What am I going to do with you?"_

_"Kiss me," he said, "And as for the rest, I promise to love you always."_

_She smiled, and pulled his face to hers. As he kissed her, Mark wondered how it was that Lexie was so insecure about the future, when he was so worried about the here and now. _

Mark lifted Lexie's hand, ignoring the monitor attached to one of her fingers and the IV in her vein, and kissed the tops to her knuckles. She was still as beautiful to him as that night in his hotel room when she had taken off her sweater and asked him to teach her. Little did either of them know that it was he who would receive the lesson.

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	22. Chapter 22

**Yay! I finally have a chapter out early. Well, early for me anyway. Maybe I can finally go to sleep without visions of Mark and Lexie dancing in my head. On that note, I had hoped to have this story done by Thursday, but that has been shot to hell now. Oh well, this story will be AU after Thursday, I guess. Lol. Anyways, thanks for the reviews, I love to read them. This chapter is for Haydeertz and Drew, thanks for all the support guys!**

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The hours ticked by slowly, feeling more like years to Mark and stretching on infinitely. Over disapproval from everyone on the floor, Mark had taken up residence at Lexie's bedside and was loathe to leave it. Most of the staff could've understood…if that was all he was doing. But instead of sitting quietly by Lexie's bedside, Mark had taken it upon himself to question everyone who came in the room. What were they doing? How much morphine were they giving her? Who was checking her stitches? All of the questions seemed designed to drive everyone nuts. And more than one doctor was tempted to snap at him until they saw the way that he looked at Lexie's still body. Then all protestations died away.

The only time Mark had left her bedside had been at Derek's insistence, when he had taken Mark to the cafeteria to get something to eat. While they were gone, Thatcher and Molly had visited with Lexie, just missing Mark. Derek and Meredith had done this by design when they discovered that Thatcher was drunk and sobbing about his daughter. They hadn't wanted a scene, and didn't know how Mark would react to that. It didn't matter, for they didn't stay long, but promised to come back later in the day when she was off the breathing tube. Other than that brief interruption, Mark was constantly by her side.

Soon, Yang and the anesthesiologist, declared her able to breathe on her own and she was extubated.

But she didn't wake up.

Mark knew this was perfectly normal, after all she had been through hell, but a part of him thought it would be like in the movies. That she would magically wake up and come back to him the moment she was off the machines.

But she didn't.

It didn't make a difference to him though; he kept his vigil. He sat quietly at her bedside, attuning his body and eyes to notice any slight changes in her breathing or color.

Meredith had come by a couple of times. She didn't try to talk, but rather just sat by his side as they whiled away the hours. Mark was grateful for this. As much as he valued Derek's support, at the end of the day, he did not need a pep talk. He just needed support, and he found a strange ally in Meredith. He had been dismissive of her in the past, once his attraction to her had ceased, both in the way that she treated Derek, but also in the way that she ignored Lexie, but Mark vowed to give her a chance from here on out. She seemed to really care about her sister; she just didn't know how to express it.

Mark got that.

Lexie had been out for eighteen hours when Mark needed a break. He couldn't take staring at her still form without some air. Counting the breaths she took was soothing, but it also made him a little stir crazy after a while. Mark stood, and left the room, flagging down a nurse as he left.

"Let me know if there are any changes," he said. "I can be here in an instant." Something about Mark's face must have impressed the seriousness upon the nurse for she nodded hastily. After leaving the ICU, Mark walked outside the front entrance. The smell of fresh air was heady to his lungs. Due to the rain, there was a clean smell that seemed to hang in the air. Mark tried to ignore the light drizzle which was falling on his head as he breathed in deep.

It was too bad really, the previous night's events had given him one more reason to hate the rain.

Once his scrubs, which he had been in for nearly a whole day, began to get damp, Mark slowly walked back into the hospital. His feet were fast but sure as he beat the path back to the ICU. His mouth quirked into a grin when he saw Derek leaning against the counter of the nurses' station just outside Lexie's room.

"You just couldn't stay away, could you?" Mark asked with a tired grin.

Derek shrugged, "Oh, you know me and the ICU."

Mark shook his head. "So are you on babysitting duty right now? Did Callie get reprieve?" Callie had been coming to see if he 'needed anything' once an hour, for the last ten hours straight.

"No, I just wanted to see my best friend," Derek said, shrugging his shoulders guiltily.

Mark rolled his eyes. "Whatever. You want to stay out here, or you want to come inside and sit with me?"

"I wouldn't do that," Derek said.

"Do what?"

"Go in there. Not right now anyway."

"Why not?" Mark asked, his voice getting panicky.

"Calm down," Derek said. "She's fine. It is just that Thatcher, Meredith, and Molly are in there right now."

The tense pressure in Mark's chest eased and he let out a breath he had been holding. "Oh," he said. He then shrugged. "Whatever, I've got to meet her dad and the other sister some time."

Derek looked startled. "What? You are just going to go in there and introduce yourself to them and say what? 'Hi, I'm Mark Sloan. I am a famous Plastic Surgeon, I have a reputation which precedes me across the country, oh, and your daughter is cohabitating with me'." He shook his head.

Mark raised his eyebrows. "What? Do you think that will come on too strong?"

Derek rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to reply, when Thatcher came running out of Lexie's room. "Can I get a nurse in here? She's awake!"

Mark and Derek went racing into the room, stopping on the threshold. Derek nearly slammed into Mark when he stopped suddenly. His eyes were fixed on Lexie, but his body did not move.

Meredith was leaning over Lexie, checking her alertness with her flashlight. Lexie moved her head, looking away from her sister in protest. She saw her father and her sister beside her, but did not register that they were there. Her eyes were searching for the one person that she wanted to see.

"Lexie? Honey, can you hear me?" Her father asked.

Lexie wanted to respond, but all her energy and focus was on the man in her doorway. "Mark," she croaked.

Mark rushed forward then, moving past Thatcher to take a seat on the side of her bed. His eyes filled with tears as he looked at her, and her own eyes responded.

"Lexie," he murmured, lifting her hand and kissing it. The relief he felt was so urgent and consuming, that he could hardly speak at first. He just kept pressing kisses to her hand and staring at her with happy eyes. When he finally spoke, he struggled to keep his tone light. "So we need to redefine the meaning of 'see you later'."

Lexie laughed hoarsely, her throat unbelievably sore, as her eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she looked at him. "I'm sorry if I scared you." They looked at each other as if there was no one else in the room, easily shutting out everything else but the two of them.

"Scared me? Little Grey, you are now responsible for all the grey on my head." Mark's tone was tender, as he kept her hand in his.

"That bad, huh?" Lexie asked with a grin.

"Worse," Mark said, his voice so low that only she could hear.

Derek and Meredith watched their exchange with interest. Though they had seen how Mark felt about Lexie, they hadn't known what it would be like to see them together. The devotion that was shinning out of both sets of their eyes was rather startling. Derek and Meredith wondered how they could have missed this relationship blossoming right under their noses. Molly watched her sister with a gentle smile, and Thatcher just looked back and forth between Lexie and Mark like he was watching a tennis match.

"What happened?" Lexie asked, her eyes looking only to Mark.

"You were hit by a drunk driver," Mark said. "He didn't see you…and the rain…"

"Is everyone else okay?" Lexie asked, her eyes worried.

Mark shook his head with a grin. "Only you would be more worried about other people who nearly killed you rather than yourself. Aren't you curious about your own health?"

Lexie nodded. "Yes, of course."

"You lost a lot of blood, and a kidney," Mark said. "But Dr. Bailey said everything went well, and you weren't in surgery for too long."

Lexie put her hand over her abdomen in surprise and in reflex. She knew the incision was on her back, but she touched her stomach as if she could feel through all the muscle, bone, stomach and organs to feel the missing kidney and the spot it had vacated.

"Well, that sucks," she said, causing Mark to laugh.

"Well put," he commented, kissing her hand again. "I thought I had lost you," he murmured against her skin.

"You could never lose me," Lexie said, "We said forever, right?"

Mark nodded and smiled.

Molly cleared her throat, turning Mark and Lexie's attention to her. Lexie looked at her sister in surprise. "Molly? Dad? What are you guys doing here?"

Molly just grinned. "We are here to see you, of course."

Lexie blushed. "Of course you are."

Thatcher patted her calf. "We are just glad you are okay, kiddo."

"You must be Mark," Molly said with a smile, meeting Mark's eyes for the first time.

"Um, yeah," Mark said. "Nice to meet you, you must be Molly."

She grinned. "You are even cuter than my sister described."

Mark arched his eyebrow at Lexie. "Oh, really?"

"Hush, Molly," Lexie said.

Molly seemed to grin wider.

"Mark Sloan," Mark said to Thatcher, holding out his hand.

Thatcher shook it, but seemed at a loss for words. If Thatcher Grey had an antithesis, it was Mark Sloan. Where Thatcher was small, he was large. Where Thatcher was plain, Mark was handsome. It had never occurred to him that his daughter could end up with a man like this. "Er…nice to meet you," Thatcher said.

Mark disliked him on sight, mostly because of the things Lexie had told him, but he strived to remain civil though he longed to throw Thatcher against the wall. "And you," he said.

"So how…when…did you two…" Thatcher's voice trailed off.

"We met here at the hospital," Mark said. "I am a surgeon here as well." Mark looked to Derek for help, and his friend gladly stepped forward.

"Mark and I grew up in New York together," Derek said, keeping calm despite the dislike for Thatcher that he shared with Mark. "We have been best friends our whole lives."

"Huh," Thatcher grunted. "So the two of you ended up with two of my daughters."

Mark and Derek looked at each other in surprise. "Yeah, I guess that is true," Derek said.

"Do you have a third friend?" Molly asked suddenly.

Mark and Derek laughed.

"Molly," Lexie said. "Aren't you forgetting someone?"

"Nope," Molly grinned. "I don't think so."

"What about Eric?"

"Who now?"

"Your husband?" Lexie laughed.

"Oh, yeah," Molly said, her shoulders falling.

Mark grinned; he definitely liked Lexie's little sister. Looking over at Lexie, he smiled as her eyes met his. Utter gratitude, which he had not allowed himself to feel before, flooded his body as he looked at the woman that he loved. Her eyes were shining as if she too was grateful for the second chance that they were getting.

Mark went back to sit with her, and he took her hand. Molly once again proved her usefulness as she shooed everyone out of the room to give them a moment to themselves.

Tears fell freely from Mark's face as he looked at Lexie. "I was so worried. Like I have never been worried before. You died. You were on the table and you were dead."

Lexie raised her arm which felt incredibly heavy to stroke his cheek. "It's okay, now. I'm alive and I'm here."

"But you weren't," he said. "I almost lost you."

"But you didn't," Lexie said, her tears flowing too.

"I don't know what I would have done if I had," Mark confessed. "I have been a wreck for the last day." His eyes met hers with tender desperation. "Please, don't ever leave me again."

Tears fell down Lexie's face. "I won't, I promise." She then kissed his forehead, and wrapped her arms around him as he cried into the crook of her neck. She held him like that for a while, ignoring the pain in her side and her fatigue. Anything was worth it to be wrapped up in Mark again. They just held each other, heedless of the small group of people who stood awkwardly outside her room watching their reunion unfold.

When Mark finally pulled away, he wiped away his tears with the back of his hand and grinned at her with his cocky smile. "So you told your sister about me?"

Lexie smiled. "Yes, at Christmas. And I had to give someone my correct address."

"So what did you tell her?" Mark asked. "Sexy stuff?"

Lexie smiled. "I told her that I was in love with you."

Mark's eyes grew tender. "Oh, that."

"Yes, that," Lexie replied. "I told her how special you were to me." Her eyelids grew heavy, and Mark smiled at her.

Arranging their bodies so that she was resting against his chest, Mark kissed her forehead and said, "Sleep, love. I'll be here when you wake-up."

Not long after she drifted off, Mark closed his own eyes as he was finally able to rest. The exhaustion which had been creeping up on him finally hit his entire body, and Mark gave into it now. He could now sleep; the one he loved was beside him.

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**Review, please!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey All- Here is your chapter for the night. Enjoy, and don't squeal too loudly!**

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"What was that?" Thatcher asked as soon as they left the room. "Who is this Mark Sloan character?"

"Oh, you know Daddy," Molly said. "He's her other half, her special someone, her lov—"

"I think I get the picture," Thatcher said holding up his hand. He rubbed his temples, wishing that he had a flask with him. Looking at Meredith, he asked, "How long has this been going on?"

Meredith made a strange sound in the back of her throat and looked to Derek for help, but he looked just as lost as she did. "A while?" Derek said hesitantly.

"Yeah, a while," Meredith said.

"It has been…"

"A while," Meredith finished.

"Oh good Lord," Molly muttered. She turned to her father and said, "They started dating last year, just after Thanksgiving, but Mark had a thing for her well before that. Anyway, they moved in together after Christmas when Mark bought an apartment for them, and they are moving into a penthouse which Mark also owns once it is finished being remodeled."

They all turned to look at her with surprise. Derek realized then that the relationship must have started right around the time that he warned Mark away from Lexie. Both times.

"How do you know all that?" Meredith asked. She felt a pang of jealously at the fact that Lexie told Molly and not her.

"Our sister talks; I listen. It's a simple concept, really," Molly said.

"She lives with him?" Thatcher's voice showed his surprise. "I thought she was roommates with that small, nervous guy…George?"

Meredith shook her head. "George doesn't work here anymore. He left just after Christmas, right around…right around the time Mark and Lexie moved in together, I guess." Meredith shook her head, amazed at the way she had missed all the clues. Her own blindness could not have been more complete.

"This is unbelievable," Thatcher said. "First I get the call that she was in an accident, and now this…"

Molly rolled her eyes. "Which one are you more upset about, Daddy? Cause I think they are great together and you wouldn't believe how happy he makes Lexie."

"So happy that she thought she had to hide her relationship from me?" Thatcher asked.

"Whatever," Molly said. "Like Lexie tells you anything these days. You should just be happy that she is alive and in love with a good guy. Besides, he is a plastic surgeon, Daddy. That's job security, right there. Cause God knows the world isn't going to become less shallow anytime soon."

Thatcher gave an exasperated sigh while Derek grinned at her. "How old are you?" He asked.

"Twenty-three," Molly said.

"You are totally awesome," Derek said. "Just so you know."

Molly grinned. "I _do _know."

"This is strange," Thatcher said. "He is too old for her. I don't …" His voice trailed off as he looked in the window of Lexie's room.

Molly, Meredith, and Derek followed suit. There, lying on the bed, were Mark and Lexie asleep. Lexie was resting on his chest, and had tucked her head up under Mark's chin. He had his right arm around her, and it looked as though his lips were resting on her hair. But it was their hands which drew the most attention. Their fingers were interlocked, but resting together as if they had done so many times before.

"…like it," Thatcher's voice sounded very far away as he finished that sentence, not still sure of the meaning.

It was so odd for Meredith and Derek to see them like that. For so long Mark and Lexie had been separate entities, but to find out that they were together was just strange. But to see them together…well, it made sense. They were like two pieces of a puzzle which only looked completed when they were together.

***

When Mark woke, he slowly came to consciousness. This was new for him. Usually he was alert the moment that he woke, but right now his exhaustion was preventing him from opening his eyes and rejoining the world. He knew there was some reason he was so tired, but it was escaping him at the moment. It wasn't until he felt a finger drawing circles on his hand that he remembered where he was.

Lexie. Accident. Hospital.

When he opened his eyes, Mark smiled against Lexie's hair. "Stop that," he said.

Her head moved and her eyes met his, "You're awake!"

"That's supposed to be my line," Mark mumbled.

Lexie grinned. "When have I _ever_ said what you wanted to hear?"

"Off hand?" Mark said, resting his eyes again. "Can't think of once."

"How long were we asleep?" Lexie asked.

Mark checked his watch. "Little more than an hour."

"Damn," Lexie said. "I was hoping I would sleep long enough for my family to go home."

Mark chuckled. "They just care about you."

"And normally I would be grateful," Lexie said. "But now is not one of those times."

"Why?"

"Because I want to be alone with you."

"We are alone," Mark said.

Lexie's eyes traveled to the people standing outside their room and the many doctors and nurses who were walking ever so slowly outside the door. "Not so much. I guess the cat is out of the bag, huh?"

Mark grinned down at her. "Um, yeah. You could say that." He didn't want to tell her about his incoherent confession when her vitals crashed; that could wait for later.

Olivia and one of her fellow nurses walked by whispering to each other as they tried to get a good look into the room. "What are they doing here?" Lexie muttered. "They don't work in the ICU."

Mark chuckled. "I hate to break it to you Lex, but the ICU is now everybody's new favorite place to walk through."

"Why?" Lexie asked. Her eyes bulged when she saw the look on his face. "You mean because of us?"

"Correct, oh wise one," Mark said, kissing her gently.

Lexie's eyes softened. "It doesn't bother you, does it?"

"No," Mark rasped, parting her lips. "It doesn't."

"You don't care what they think?"

"I really don't," Mark said, capturing her lips.

Their hands remained interlocked as they kissed.

When they pulled away, Lexie grinned, "Now you've gone and done it."

Mark winked. "Gotta give 'em a show."

She rolled her eyes. "You are so bad."

"You know it," Mark murmured. His free hand reached up and touched her hair, wrapping the silky strands around his fingers. "So I have been thinking…"

"Good for you," Lexie murmured. "Very industrious. I approve."

"Smart ass," Mark said. "Now I am not going to tell you what I am thinking."

"Oh come on," Lexie smiled. "Tell me. I'll be good."

"I don't know…"

"Don't be a baby," Lexie said.

"Fine, will you be quiet?"

"As a mouse," she affirmed.

"You ready?"

"Spit it out already!" She said with a laugh.

"Okay," Mark said, then pausing.

Lexie said nothing, sensing some seriousness in his silence.

"So I have been thinking," He began again. "There is this thing that I have to say to you, but I don't want you to think that I haven't thought this through. That I haven't totally considered what I am about to say. Because I have."

Lexie turned, ignoring the way her stitches tugged and looked at his face. "What are you saying?"

"I am saying that for two months now I have been holding onto something, but I think it is time that I gave it to you." Mark pulled out a ring box that had been in the pocket of his scrubs and placed it on his chest.

Lexie gasped, looking up at his eyes for confirmation.

"Open it," Mark murmured.

Lexie nodded her head and began to cry as she opened the box. She fumbled a bit, trying to open the case with shaky fingers and the blood pressure monitor inhibiting her dexterity. But once she had it open, it was all worth it. Sitting inside was the most perfect diamond ring she had ever seen. It was a round cut stone, at least a couple of carats, and it was sitting on a platinum setting looking like it was floating. It was amazing.

"I wanted to do this right," Mark said. "I was planning this romantic way to do it, and I would have made a total ass of myself too, just for you. One knee and all," he said with a grin. "But when you were in your accident I realized I couldn't go another day without knowing that you will be my wife. I took the ring out of my locker when Derek dragged me to eat something, and I promised I would ask you the moment that you opened your eyes."

Tears fell unchecked down Lexie's face.

"Not quite that moment, but close enough," Mark said, brushing away her tears with the pads of his thumbs. "So, Lexie Grey, I have a question to ask you."

Her eyes were filled with love and tenderness.

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes!" She practically yelled, kissing him with abandon. He grinned against her lips as he kissed her, thoroughly enjoying her reaction. Mark felt something click into place and he knew that he had finally found the thing that had been missing all of his life. It was her…Lexie.

"Put it on," he said, as he pulled back.

Lexie smiled. "Would you…?"

Mark grinned as he took the ring out of the box, carefully maneuvering around all the wires and monitors on her hand and slid it onto her fourth finger. "Looks good on you," he said with a laugh.

Lexie smiled widely as she kissed him, "You wonderful, amazing man. How long have you been planning to propose?"

"Since just after you told me that you loved me." Mark pulled her close as she curled up against his side. He tried to avoid her stitches as he adjusted her to him. "I bought the ring and then went and put it away. I don't know what I was waiting for. The right moment, I guess."

"And did it come?" Lexie asked, titling her head to look at him. "Did you find the right moment?" A smile was playing about her lips.

"Every moment is the right moment with you, Lex," Mark rasped.

***

Derek, Meredith, and Molly clutched their coffee cups tighter in shock. Having just returned from the cafeteria, they witnessed Mark slip the ring onto Lexie's finger. Their faces showed varying degrees of surprise and astonishment, with Derek looking merely stunned and Meredith looking as if her head was about to implode.

Molly looked at them, her mouth opening and closing with wonder. "Probably best if we don't mention this to Dad just yet."

"Yeah," Derek said.

"Totally," Meredith agreed.

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**Review please.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Oh my God! How Awesome was tonight's episode! I loved it, and it inspired me to write the next chapter which I was totally stuck on! (By the by, who loves that they are going to have secret sex and that only Sadie and Callie know!? Oh so awesome. Did anyone else squee when he called her exquisite? I tried to incorporate the way he talked about her into this update a bit.) **

**This chapter features the conversations many of you have asked for. And it is dedicated to Bridget, get better soon!**

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Within three days, Lexie was in a private room and out of the ICU. Mark, for his part, ignored all her attempts to get him to go home, get some sleep, and eat. Instead, he used the hospital's shower, cafeteria, and slept either with her, or in a very uncomfortable chair holding her hand. Her fellow interns had come by one by one, but none of them stayed long with the exception of Sadie. They all seemed uncomfortable by Mark, but even more so by the fact that she and Mark seemed so at ease.

Despite the fact that the entire hospital seemed to know of their engagement now, they all seem surprised to actually see it in action. Almost like many of them had thought it to be a whim of Mark's, or that she had lost a bet. It was a much different thing to actually see them with each other, being in love.

Bailey was a frequent visitor, so was Cristina. Bailey came by to visit with Lexie, discuss her recovery, but she seemed to really like seeing Mark entranced by Lexie. She said something to the effect that it renewed her faith in love. Cristina, on the other hand, would come by and ask medical questions that she thought Lexie would know because of her photographic memory. Mark grumbled that she wasn't a trained monkey, but Lexie just patted his hand and explained that it was the only way that Cristina could show she cared.

As for Lexie's family, after Thatcher had calmed down, he seemed to grudgingly accept Mark, though mostly against his will. Molly just watched it all with gentle humor in her eyes before heading home to her husband and daughter.

The only one who hadn't been to see Lexie was Meredith. Not when she was awake anyway. Mark had told her that he woke one night to see Meredith standing outside Lexie's room watching them with a sad look on her face, but she had never come in.

That changed on the third day.

Meredith stood her doorway, looking hesitantly at Lexie. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm just going to go find Derek," Mark said, standing, kissing Lexie lightly on the lips. "Play nice."

"Of course," Lexie said. She then grabbed his scrubs. "If you value your life, you will bring me chocolate."

"Yes ma'am," Mark said.

"Take a shower too," Lexie called as he walked away. "You smell like hospital!"

"So do you," Mark teased, "You don't hear me complaining."

"As if," Lexie muttered. "I am the one forced to take sponge baths here. You have no excuse."

"So true," Mark grinned, walking by Meredith as he left.

"He's in his office," Meredith said.

"Thanks, Grey," Mark said.

Once he was gone, Meredith looked at Lexie as if she was at a loss. "So," she began.

"So," Lexie repeated.

"You and Mark?"

"Yeah," Lexie said. She brushed her hair out of her face, longing for the day when she could take a real shower. Soon.

"How did that happen?" Meredith asked.

"You can come in, you know," Lexie said, indicating Meredith's current position with her hand. "No need to stand in the doorway."

Her sister walked slowly into the room, coming over to sit on the stool that was on the right side of the bed.

"It just happened," Lexie said, answering her sister's original question. "We had been working together a lot, and feelings started to develop. He began acting weird around me and I was totally confused, but then Sadie told me that he liked me—"

"Wait," Meredith cut in. "Sadie said what?"

"Breathe, Meredith," Lexie said. "It will be alright. Anyways, that night, you know, the night of Alex's solo surgery, I went to his hotel room and I seduced him. Stripped in front of him and everything." Lexie smiled to herself, thinking back to the way that Mark had looked like he had been hit with a two-by-four. "I was so nervous, God, I was nervous. But there was something pushing me on, something giving me the…bravery to put it all out there, which amazes me, even now. And things sort of snowballed from there. We tried staying away from each other, but that didn't work. And before I knew it we were in the middle of a living, breathing relationship."

Meredith said nothing, but her eyes conveyed it all. How she simply didn't, or couldn't, understand what Lexie meant.

"I love him Meredith. It is important that you understand that. When I am with him, all of my craziness just sort of fades into the background, you know? I feel like I can breathe around him, like life isn't so bad as long as I get to spend mine with him."

Maybe she couldn't understand it, but Meredith knew what her sister meant. She felt that every time that she looked at Derek. "I can't be happy and sisterly for you, I don't even know how, but I am glad that you are happy. Not that long ago I would have warned you away from him, hell, I did, but if this is what you want…"

"It is," Lexie said firmly.

"Then good. That's good." Meredith looked down at her hands, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to erupt every time she looked at her sister. Raising her eyes, they filled with tears as she hoarsely asked, "Can you ever forgive me?"

"For what?" Lexie asked, confused.

"For almost getting you killed," Meredith said. "It is all my fault."

"That's nonsense," Lexie said calmly. "It was an accident, Meredith. As much as I might have not wanted to come get you that night, you can always call me. You're my sister. It's what we do."

"I am not good at it," Meredith said, wiping away her tears as if they bothered her. "Being a sister, I mean."

Lexie shrugged. "You'll learn."

"Okay," Meredith said tremulously.

"Okay," Lexie affirmed.

***

After a long, hot shower, Mark headed up to Derek's office. He was dreading what he knew was coming, but there was no way to avoid it any longer. Knocking on the door, Mark entered when he heard Derek's voice.

"Hey," he said, coming into the office and closing the door behind him.

Derek looked up from the paperwork he was doing. "Hey," he said, his voice distracted.

Mark sat in the chair in front of Derek's desk. "What are you doing?"

"Wrapping up the paperwork from the latest patient in the clinical trial. What's up?"

"Nothing," Mark said. "I was kicked out of Lexie's room."

"Really?" Derek asked, his lips forming a smirk.

Mark laughed. "No, more like I excused myself so that Lexie and Meredith could talk."

"She went to talk to Lexie?" Derek asked. "That's good. Progress."

"Baby steps," Mark agreed.

Then there was silence.

"So…" Derek said.

"So…" Mark repeated.

"You and Lexie," Derek stated. "How'd that happen?"

"You mean 'cause you told me to stay away from her and keep all my parts, big or otherwise, from entering her?"

"Yeah, that's what I meant," Derek nodded.

"It just happened," Mark said. "I can't explain it; I hardly even know how it began." He looked at Derek, mentally willing him to understand. "Before I knew it I was already in the middle of it. For weeks, I had been admiring her, the way that she was so fearless and that she would talk back to me and not even think twice. I liked her mind, the way that she was able to recall things and wasn't afraid of thinking outside the box. I wanted her, in every way possible but I just didn't know it. When you told me to stay away from her, it was like everything clicked. I knew then that it was the one thing I couldn't do."

Derek sighed. "So you went after her?"

"No," Mark said, shaking his head with a smile. "She came after me."

"What?" Derek asked, a grin spreading across his face.

"She came to my hotel room, stripped naked, and asked me to teach her. I only have so much willpower, Derek."

His friend started laughing. "My God, you had no choice!"

"That's what I'm saying!" Mark replied nodding his head. "And after that…after the mind-blowing sex I realized that I cared about her too, that it wasn't over just because we had sex. I tried to stay away from her, I really did. Pissed off half the hospital in the process."

"So that was what that was about," Derek murmured.

"Yeah, and I lasted for three days and then I caved."

"What about the Derm nurse?"

"Derek, there was no Derm Nurse. I have never even met her, I don't even know if she is a blond or a brunette."

"Red head, actually," Derek said.

"Whatever," Mark said. "We are deviating away from the point."

"Alright, back to the point," Derek said, crossing his arms.

"Like I said, I lasted three days, and then before I knew it, it was Christmas and I was buying two apartments."

"Two?" Derek said.

"The other is a penthouse, you'll like it."

"Cool."

"And I asked her to move in with me, and then your mom came."

"Oh," Derek said. "And I said…"

"Yeah, you said…anyway, I realized that I couldn't give it up, that I couldn't give _her_ up. Soon there were the I-love-yous and then I was buying a ring."

"Congratulations on that, by the way," Derek said.

"Thanks," Mark replied. "So yeah, it was messy and I lied to you. Again."

"Yeah," Derek said, dragging a hand through his hair. "Can we skip over the whole part where you apologize and I act self-righteous? We seem to do that a lot and I am tired. Are you tired?"

"Yeah," Mark said with a sigh. "I'm tired too."

"Good, then let's just not. You lied to me and made a mistake." Mark hung his head at Derek's words, but it snapped right back up when he heard what Derek said next. "But I was an arrogant ass who did his girlfriend's dirty work because I believed you weren't capable of being a good guy. You did it for love; I did it because I was an ass."

Mark was silent for a moment, "Technically, I did it for love and sex."

"Hey! I am trying to be giving here!" Derek yelled.

"Sorry," Mark said. "So are we good?"

"Yeah, we're good." Derek grinned. "Look at us, we're growing."

Mark smiled. "Yeah, I've been doing that a lot lately."

Derek laughed and stood up. "Let's go rescue our girlfriends from too much sister time."

Mark smiled. "Your girlfriend, my fiancée."

"Oh my God," Derek said.

"What?"

"You're going to be married before me!"

"Technically, you were married before me," Mark said, opening the door.

"Nice! I thought you were growing," Derek said.

"It's a work in progress," Mark replied.

They walked down the hall, and Mark felt a profound relief that everything had turned out alright. He wondered if this hadn't been the master plan of some higher power all along, but then shook away the thought. Lexie could think that, but he didn't have to. Even if it felt kinda true.

"I'm going to be your best man, right?"

"Yes, Derek," Mark said. "You are going to be my best man."

"Just making sure."

"Who else would I ask?"

"Maybe one of those shallow sycophantic surgeons who hung around you in New York, how would I know?"

"Derek, those guys are idiots. You are my best friend."

"Just checking," Derek said with a grin.

"I should call this off with Lexie," Mark muttered.

"What? Why?" Derek asked in surprise.

"Because I don't know how she feels about bigamy, and I swear to God, I feel like I have been married to you for years," Mark shook his head, his voice disgusted.

"Well, you did come to Seattle to get me back," Derek replied with a laugh.

"Shut up!" Mark spit out with a grin.

"What?" Derek asked, his face fighting a grin. "Too soon?"

"We said we wouldn't mention that again. I specifically remember a promise."

Derek chuckled. "Don't worry, I won't tell Lexie."

Mark rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I win."

"What?"

"Yeah," Mark said, raising his index finger under his chin. "This is the face of a winner. You got the dark and twisty Grey, and I got the bright and shinny one who I am going to marry and get pregnant as soon as possible. My kids will be starting college by the time you make it down the aisle with Meredith."

"Harsh," Derek said. He then sighed, "But probably true."

Mark chuckled, and stopped walking. He looked at Derek with happiness in his eyes. "Did you ever think…?"

"Did I ever think what?" Derek asked, stopping as well, as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his lab coat.

"Two years ago," Mark said. "Did you ever think that we would be in this place? Back then I was chasing everything with a skirt—"

"—Including my wife," Derek interjected.

"—and you were married to Addison and had never even heard the name Meredith Grey. Now here we are, I'm getting married, Addison is in California, and you are living with a woman who you are building a house for." Mark laughed. "Did you ever think that this would be our lives?"

Derek shook his head. "No, I never did."

"Me either," Mark said.

They walked some more.

"Derek?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for moving to Seattle."

"You're welcome," Derek said, pausing. "I'm not going to thank you for sleeping with my wife."

"I didn't think you were," Mark said. "But, all the same, I'm kinda glad I did. Because…well, here we are."

There was silence again, but then Derek smiled.

"Okay," Derek said.

"Okay," Mark replied. Derek's voice gave nothing away, but Mark felt as though the past was finally getting put behind them and laid to rest.

"Aw, crap!" Mark suddenly exclaimed.

"What?"

"I forgot the chocolate."

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**Review please!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Sorry for the delay everyone. I have had a hell of a time getting this chapter written. It is a placeholder mostly, a transitional chappie, and I am still not happy with it, but I want to get on with the story. Hopefully my writer's block is gone soon!**

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Within a week, Lexie was home from the hospital and quickly driving Mark insane. He now believed that Lexie proved that old adage that doctors make the worst patients. She was grumpy and irritable, and rather than savoring the time she had off from the hospital, she moaned about not being able to work. Mark had taken time off to be with her, but Lexie didn't seem to appreciate that either.

"I'm bored," Lexie said one day, as they reclined on their bed. Mark was doing a crossword puzzle as she was thumbing through a book.

"So you've said," Mark replied, not looking up. "You said it fifteen minutes ago and fifteen minutes before that."

"Sni-ppy," Lexie said, emphasizing the syllables.

Mark looked at her with an exasperated look in his eyes. "What do you want me to say, Lex? You have obviously made it your mission to make us both miserable just because you are recovering. I see no reason to endure it silently."

Lexie rolled her eyes. "I am not that bad. You just aren't good at this nursing thing." She smirked. "Maybe you should pursue a career other than medicine."

"I am an excellent nurse," Mark replied, "But you are an impossible patient. 'Mark, I'm hot,' 'Close the window, I'm cold,' 'This soup tastes funny,' 'Where is the crusty bread, you know I cannot have soup without crusty bread'."

Lexie gaped at him. "My God, have I really been that bad?"

"Worse," Mark said, but his eyes were soft as he looked at her. "You better not get sick a lot once we are married. I don't think I could handle it."

"I hardly ever get sick," Lexie sniffed.

"Good," Mark said. "I can't wait until you are recovering from childbirth, that ought to be a blast."

Lexie's eyes grew dark as she turned away.

"What?" Mark asked, confused at her reaction. "What is it? Why do you look like that?"

"I don't look like anything," Lexie said, tears filling her eyes. "This is my face."

"Why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying. I'm fine," Lexie said, beginning to bawl.

"Lexie, what is it?" Mark asked, gathering her into his arms. "What is all this?"

Lexie clutched the fabric of his grey t-shirt as she cried. "What if I can't?"

"Can't what?" Mark murmured into her hair, dragging his hand in a gentle and steady rhythm up and down her back.

"Can't have babies. What if we can't have kids now, Mark?"

Mark met her eyes, brushing the tears off of her cheeks. "Then I will love you all the more because you will be my family. Just you." He kissed her cheek, trailing his lips along her jaw. "I don't need to have kids, Lex, but I do need you. As long as we are together, I don't care about anything else."

"You mean it?" Lexie asked, her eyes shinning.

"Yep."

"And…if we do have kids? We haven't really talked about it too much. Could we maybe…start to try?"

Before she could even squeak, Mark had her pinned beneath him, holding her but not too tightly.

"Anytime, Little Grey," Mark whispered against her lips. "We can start now or in two years. I don't care."

"Mark, I…" Her words were silenced by his lips claiming hers. He pressed them against her gently, as if he was afraid of hurting her. His tongue soon came out to meet hers, and Lexie was thrown back into a flashback of that first night when he had kissed her. He had tasted like scotch and blackberries then, and Lexie could taste the same things now. That night, she had felt so insecure and vulnerable, but he had taken that all away. For that brief moment, when she had though he would refuse, Lexie had felt her heart drop to her stomach. But the look that came into his eyes that followed took all those fears and quashed them.

Mark pulled back. "Maybe we shouldn't. You are still recovering, and I…"

"I know you didn't just start something you aren't going to finish," Lexie said, her eyes dark with desire. She wrapped her pajama clad legs around him, cradling him against her. "Please, now."

He cupped her face with his hands, kissing her again, putting all his feeling into that one kiss. There was a brief moment where Mark felt some panic. It happened every now and then since the accident. For the past week, whenever he would be happy or whenever they would be just together he would suddenly get hit with what felt like a panic attack and the full weight of what he had almost lost would hit him. Mark felt that panic now, but he wouldn't let it control him. He had to put it in that corner of his mind, like Derek had said. Looking into her eyes, Mark whispered, "I almost lost you."

"Yes," Lexie responded, meeting his eyes with steady conviction.

"I don't know what I would have done," Mark whispered. "Without you, I mean. I don't know what I would have done without you."

"You won't have to find out," Lexie said. "I'll be around for a long time yet. I promise."

"You can't promise that," Mark whispered, touching his forehead to hers.

"I can," Lexie replied. "I do. We'll be alright, I promise."

"Lexie…" Mark warned.

"I love you, Mark," She said. "I'll love you forever. We have forever."

"Don't—"

"Stop talking," She said, stopping his mouth with a kiss. "Now, Mark."

"I don't want to hurt you," he said, moving his lips down to the tops of her breasts.

"You won't. You couldn't," Lexie said, arching her back. She pressed her hand over the bulge of his pants and his breath hissed through his teeth.

"Now you asked for it," Mark said.

***

As she draped naked across his body, Mark gently ran his fingers up and down her spine, occasionally running them around the puckered, stitched-up wound on the left side of her back. "We shouldn't have done that," he said quietly. "You shouldn't have strenuous activity right now."

"It wasn't strenuous," Lexie said. "It was perfect. I feel much better now…endorphins released and all that."

"Dr. Bailey is going to kill me if this sets back your recovery."

Lexie giggled. "Sex should be apart of any recovery of mine."

"Oh, really?"

"Sex with you," Lexie clarified.

"That's better," Mark said.

"So I have been thinking…" Lexie began.

"Good for you. I approve, very industrious of you," Mark said with a grin.

"Alright, smart ass," Lexie said, grinning as he repeated her words. "Do you want to hear it or not?"

"Could I stop you?"

"Probably not," Lexie said pertly.

"Then by all means, continue."

"Fine, I will," Lexie said with a grin. "I have been thinking about our wedding."

"Oh?"

"Our yet to be defined and unplanned wedding."

"Continue," Mark said.

"I was wondering if we could do it sooner rather than later," she said.

"You were?" Mark asked, his eyebrows arching. "I thought all women wanted months to plan and to make it perfect."

"Mark Sloan," Lexie said with mock severity. "When have I ever done what you expected?"

"Never," Mark admitted.

"So why would I start now?" She asked.

Mark grinned. "So when do you want to get married?"

"A week? Maybe two?" Her eyes met his and Mark knew then that he would give her anything she wanted as long as she would keep looking at him like that for the rest of their lives.

"Okay, two weeks," Mark conceded. "What do I need to do?"

"Just show up," Lexie said, kissing his rough cheek.

"Believe me, there is no danger of me failing to do that," Mark said. "I can't wait to marry you."

"You could get the rings too."

"Rings," Mark said. "I can do that."

Lexie smiled. "Who do you want to be there?"

"Derek, and Callie, I guess," Mark said. "I suppose that means that Meredith and Sadie will be there too."

"I think it is only fair that Sadie is," Lexie said. "Without her encouragement I never would have gone to your hotel that first night."

Mark grinned. "Remind me to thank her one day."

"Who else?" Lexie asked.

"I guess the Chief…and Bailey," Mark added, wanting the woman who had saved Lexie's life to be there. "What about you?"

"Just my dad and my sister," Lexie said. "That's it."

"What about O'Malley?" Mark asked.

"What about him?"

"Do you want him there?"

"I think some things are best left in the past, don't you?"

Mark kissed her. "I can't wait to marry you."

Lexie smiled. "What about Mrs. Shepherd?"

"Yeah," Mark said, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "We should invite her too."

"I'll make the calls," Lexie said, starting to get up.

Mark then tugged her close. "Later. Make them later. Right now, I want you all to myself."

Lexie smiled. "What happened to not doing this and not wanting to face Bailey's wrath?"

Mark laughed. "Well that has gone to hell now. Might as well release more endorphins."

"I knew there was a reason I was marrying you," Lexie said with a laugh. "Mark?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"Not as much as I love you."

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**Review, be kind please!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Hello, All! Time for another update. I am totally psyched for tomorrow, how bout you?!**

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Time seemed to race by as Mark and Lexie prepared for the wedding. Amazingly, she found a dress, flowers, and a small church to perform the ceremony. Mark had blanched at first when she said that she wanted to be married in a church, but he had given in when she looked at him with those big brown eyes of hers. But as he walked away he had muttered something about hoping she like lightening.

As for telling people, well, that had been something else all together. Mark and Lexie had decided to tell Derek and Meredith themselves, and they met them at Joes one night for that very reason. Lexie was feeling much better now, her stitches had been removed and she could go places without getting tired. She still wasn't back to work, but she now thought she would wait until after the wedding to return which would simplify things considerably.

"So, what's up?" Meredith had asked as she and Derek slid into the booth.

"Have an onion ring," Lexie offered, nudging the basket towards her sister and Derek.

"Naw, I'm good," Meredith said.

"Really?" Lexie replied. "Derek?"

"Lexie, stop stalling," Mark said kissing her on the temple.

"Right," She said, clearing her throat. "Mark and I are getting married."

Derek and Meredith looked at her blankly. "We know, Lexie," Derek said. "That is what the ring on your finger means."

Lexie laughed. "No, I mean like right now. Two weeks from Saturday."

"Whoa," Meredith said. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," Mark affirmed dryly.

"Why?" Derek asked. "What's the rush?"

"Ohmigod, are you pregnant?" Meredith asked loudly, causing many heads to swivel in their direction.

"No!" Lexie hissed. "And thank you for now putting that thought into everyone's mind."

Mark took her hand and squeezed it. "The rush is that we don't want to wait anymore."

"There doesn't seem to be any reason to delay," Lexie said, picking up from where Mark had stopped. "Neither of us wants a big wedding, and that seems to be a good day to have the people we care about there."

"You don't want a big wedding?" Meredith asked skeptically. "I always thought that you would."

Lexie shook her head. "I very much doubt there will be more than twenty guests, and that is fine with us."

Mark looked at Derek. "We called your mom an hour ago and invited her. After she stopped squealing into the phone, she said she would be here on Wednesday."

Derek laughed, and then groaned. "The house is already crowded…"

"Don't worry," Mark grinned. "We are putting her up at the Archfield."

"Cool, thanks."

"Yeah, oh, and there is one more thing," Mark said. "I want you to be my best man."

Derek nodded, grinning at his friend. "Of course." He and Mark got up to go to the bar and get a celebratory drink.

Lexie turned to Meredith. "I hope you don't mind, I asked Molly to be my maid of honor."

"I don't mind," Meredith said, breathing a sigh of relief. She wasn't good at being the happy shiny person that Lexie would want as her maid or honor.

"You can sit with Cristina for the wedding," Lexie said. "I am inviting her, Alex, Izzie, Bailey, the Chief, Graziella, Sadie, Callie, Mrs. Shepherd, my dad, Molly, Eric, and the baby." Lexie ticked them off on her fingers. "And with Dr. Bailey's husband and the Chief's wife, you and Derek, that is about seventeen."

Meredith smiled. "Can I ask you one favor?"

"Of course."

"It's a sister thing," Meredith said.

"What?" Lexie asked.

"Will you invite Dr. Hunt?"

"Why?" Lexie asked, not against the idea but curious as to why Meredith wanted him there.

"I owe her," Meredith said simply.

"Owe who?"

"Cristina."

"Oh," Lexie said, her brow furrowing. "But what does that have to do with—oh! Dr. Yang and Dr. Hunt?" She asked in a stage whisper.

"What about Dr. Hunt and Dr. Yang?" Mark asked as he and Derek returned to the table.

Lexie wiggled her eyebrows at him.

"No way!" He exclaimed. But then he smiled to himself. "She might be a single malt scotch after all."

Derek started laughing.

"What does that mean?" Lexie asked, looking at Meredith.

Meredith shrugged. "One thing I have learned over the years is to not try to decipher boy talk. It only leads to a headache and an affair with a tequila bottle."

After telling Meredith and Derek, Lexie had gone into planning mode. With Molly's help, everything was done with a week to spare, giving Lexie plenty of time to panic over inconsequential things. Molly seemed to disappear whenever she began to freak out, but Mark took each fit bravely and soothed any worries that she had.

One night, after one such freak out, Mark was sitting in the living room, with Lexie curled up on his lap. "Where do you want to go for our honeymoon?" Mark asked.

"I don't know," Lexie said. She then looked into his eyes, trying to gauge his reaction. "Are you sorry that it will have to wait a couple of months until I finish my internship?"

"No," Mark said. "Your internship is important to you, and I can wait."

Lexie smiled. "What about you? Any place you want to go?"

"I don't know," Mark said. "We _do_ already have those tickets to New York."

"New York?" Lexie said, a grin in her eyes. "You want to go there on our honeymoon?"

"I want to show it to you," Mark said. "We could stay at the Plaza, and I would even do all the touristy crap with you if you like."

"Now that's love," Lexie said, kissing him gently. "Okay, New York it is."

Mark had grinned; glad she was seeing things his way.

That calm, that happiness, which surrounded them then had felt like the beginning of something great. Lexie was so happy about the wedding, despite her freak outs, and even her father had seemed to come on board. Mark knew that he and Thatcher would never have a friendly relationship, but they could tolerate each other for Lexie's sake.

On the Monday before the wedding, Mark arrived late to the hospital. He didn't have a surgery until later and Lexie had kept him home 'releasing endorphins' all morning. He had a light week, he wanted to be on hand to help Lexie with any crisis she imagined, but he also needed to work. Taking time off from the hospital with Lexie had been great, if maddening, but at the end he had been grateful to get back to the OR.

There was something about the scalpel.

Mark was headed to his office when he passed by the nurses station, nearly stopping in his tracks. There, taking to Derek, was Addison.

Mark made his way over to her and his friend, looking at her with a guarded expression. "Addison."

"Mark," she said, turning to him.

Derek looked between the two of them and gave Mark a wide grin. "Hey Mark, why don't you tell Addison the good news?"

"There's good news?" Addison asked. "Nice, tell me. I could use some cheering up."

Mark glared at Derek, and then turned to Addison changing the subject. "I was sorry to hear about Archer."

Addison nodded her thanks. "That was what I was talking to Derek about."

"If I know your brother," Mark said. "He will pull through this fine."

Addison blinked back tears and waved her hands in front of her eyes. "Enough of this now. Tell me your good news."

"Well," Mark began nervously. "I'm getting married."

"Come again?" Addison said.

"I'm getting married," Mark repeated.

"On a dare?" Addison asked, her face confused.

"No," Mark said rolling his eyes. "For all the reasons that people normally get married."

"You got her pregnant?" Addison guessed.

"No!" Mark yelled. He looked at Derek. "Why does everyone think that?"

Derek shrugged. "We know you."

"I'm hurt," he said, mockingly.

"Such is life," Derek commented.

Mark sighed, and turned back to Addison. "No, Addison, she is not pregnant."

"Did her father buy a gun?" Addison queried.

"No! I am marrying her because I love her."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously," Mark said.

"I don't get it."

"What? What's not to get?"

"You don't do love," Addison said, pointing her finger at him.

"I do with her," Mark said.

"Ok-_ay_," Addison said, her tone portraying her skepticism. "Who's the girl?"

"You know about Meredith's sister, Lexie?"

"Yeah, but what does she have to do…" Addison trailed off as her eyes bugged out of her head. "You have got to be kidding me!" She looked at Derek in desperation. "Please tell me he is kidding me!"

Derek grinned and shook his head. "Believe me when I say I had the exact same reaction."

"But, but—" Addison sputtered, looking at Mark with disbelief in her eyes. "But she's…and you're…"

Mark rolled his eyes again. He seemed to do that a lot when Addison was around. "Deep breaths, Addie," he said. "Just take deep breaths."

"When?" Addison asked when she was able to put her syllables together.

"Saturday," Mark said. His beeper went off then. "Gotta go; good luck with your brother."

As he walked away, Addison turned to Derek. "Was that some deeply unfunny hazing attempt you two worked out in advance?"

Derek laughed. "Sorry, we are not that clever."

Addison made an audible sound in her throat.

"He _is_ with Lexie, and they _are_ getting married this weekend." Derek took a sip of his coffee which had been sitting for several minutes on the counter. "My mom comes out on Wednesday."

Addison smiled. "She does? I would love to see Carolyn."

Derek looked uncomfortable. "That probably wouldn't be such a good idea."

"Oh," Addison said. "She's still mad, huh?"

"Yeah," Derek said.

Addison nodded, but then looked in the direction Mark had left in. "I can't believe he is getting married. I feel like the world has stopped spinning and fallen out of orbit."

"You get used to it," Derek said. "Seeing them together…well, you suddenly know what people mean when they toss around words like soulmate and fate."

"You're kidding me," Addison said. "Mark and Lexie? I saw her the last time I was here…she is not his type at all."

"Maybe that is what he needed," Derek countered.

"Maybe," Addison conceded, "But I just can't believe it."

"You haven't seen them together," Derek said. "You couldn't possibly understand."

She shook her head. "You can believe whatever you want, Derek, but I know Mark Sloan. That man does not have a monogamous bone in his body."

"Perhaps you don't know him as well as you thought," Derek said, picking up Archer's chart and walking away.

Addison remained there, thinking about what he had said. No, there was no way that she was wrong about this. If she knew one thing, it was that Mark didn't have it in him to be faithful. Poor Lexie, Addison thought, she was the only one that would be hurt when she figured out what the rest of the world already knew.

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**Reviews are love!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Hello everyone! I am so excited about tonight that I feel like I am about to bounce off the walls! Let's hope for some solo Slexie scenes!**

**Some of you asked about what is going on with Addison, so I just wanted to clarify. The scenes with her are based on a spoiler that is floating around. _Spoilers: Her brother Archer has a brain disorder and she comes with Naomi and Sam to Seattle Grace to see Derek._ There is also a photo of her flirting with Mark in which he seems to be repulsed by her. I added that in this scene for fun.**

**Many of you with recognize Naomi and Sam from _Private Practice_. I only watch that show sporadically so I have not incorporated any side story with them into this chapter. If I have anything wrong about them, that is why.**

**Also, I feel like I should point out that I don't hate Addison. I like her character, but I find the way she treated Mark and Derek to be sorta bad. She has grown a lot, but when it comes to Mark I think she can be pretty selfish (i.e. sleeping with Alex during the pact.)**

**Anyway, on with the story!**

**Enjoy tonight's episode!!!!**

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By the end of the day, Mark was exhausted. His supposedly light day and easy surgery had turned dark quickly when the patient had coded on the table. Mark knew there was nothing more he could have done, but the patient's death still weighed heavily on him. He had gone into plastics partly because of the low mortality rate, and as a result each death seemed to count for so much more, rare as they were.

All Mark wanted to do was go home and spend time with Lexie, but he had been roped into going for a drink with Derek, Addison, Sam, and Naomi. They had tagged along with Addison for Archer's case. Derek had mentioned rehashing old times, but that sounded more like a chore to Mark than anything else. His friends seemed to love mentioning all his exploits, things Mark would rather forget.

Mark called Lexie, but she didn't answer. He swallowed his brief moment of panic and told himself that she was probably sleeping or out with Molly. He left a brief message on her phone mentioning that he was going to Joe's to meet Derek and the group, and that he would see her soon.

When he arrived at the bar, Mark took a weary glance around and found the table in the back corner which his friends were sitting at, already covered by several glasses of beer and a pitcher.

"I see you all started without me," Mark said with a tired grin as he sat down in the empty chair between Addison and Derek.

Naomi and Sam greeted him, pouring him a glass of beer from the pitcher. Mark tired not to flinch as the cheep liquid slid down his throat. He liked his alcohol expensive or not at all.

"So Mark," Sam said. "I need you to settle this highly disturbing rumor which Addison told me earlier. You are getting married; say it isn't so!"

Mark laughed at Sam's teasing tone. "It's true, I'm afraid. Her name is Lexie and we are getting married on Saturday."

Addison grinned. "She's Meredith's little sister. Apparently Mark took one look at those big brown eyes and wham! Love at first sight."

Mark shook his head ruefully, ignoring the tone of Addison's voice. "That's not quite how it happened."

"I don't know," Addison said, shaking her head. "There is something about these Grey women. First Derek and then Mark. Explain to me how such rational thinking men can be seduced by women like them."

Mark bristled as Derek glared at her.

"I know you did not just insult my fiancée," Mark said, biting off the words.

"Okay, let's just calm down," Naomi said. She looked at Mark and smiled, "I am happy for you, Sloan. I am sure she is lovely."

Mark nodded. "She is. She is also pretty amazing. She has planned and organized a wedding within a week. I don't know how Lexie does it." His words contained a little bit of awe.

"Damn!" Sam said. "I never thought I would see the day when Mark Sloan would be felled by a woman."

"Not just any woman," Mark said. "Lexie's different."

"He _loves_ her," Derek said in a teasing voice.

"Dude, what are you like…five?" Mark asked him with a laugh.

Sam and Naomi grinned.

"It's nice to see some things back to the way they used to be," Sam said.

Mark smirked at Derek. "What can I say? I keep him around 'cause he needs me."

"Whatever," Derek said with a laugh. "He came to Seattle to 'get me back'." Derek put air quotes around the phrase.

"Derek, are you feeling alright?" Mark asked. "I think you are imagining things."

"Nice," Derek said.

"And on that note," Mark spoke, standing. "Excuse me kiddies, I am going to get myself a real drink. I'll be right back." He walked over to the bar, and leaned on it. Catching Joe's eye, he said, "Joe, can I get a scotch? Make it four fingers."

"Sure," Joe said as he poured the drink. "How's Lexie?"

Mark grinned. "She's good. Almost fully recovered and being a pain in my ass."

"And you love every minute of it," Joe said.

"Absolutely," Mark replied, picking up the drink when Joe finished pouring. "Thanks."

"You give her the best from me, and congratulations."

"I will," Mark responded.

Joe turned away to help another customer, leaving Mark to his drink. He sipped it slowly, not eager to go back to the table and continue to feel those hostile waves coming off of Addison.

"You can't be serious about this."

Mark turned to see Addison standing right behind him. He sighed as he swiveled on the stool to face her. "Addison, go back to the table."

"You can't do this," Addison said. "You are not the marrying kind."

Mark looked at her steadily. "What point are you trying to make?"

"Why are you doing this?" Addison asked, shaking her head. "When we were together you couldn't be bother to even _attempt_ fidelity!"

"Addison," Mark said calmly. "There is no comparison between my relationship with Lexie and the one that I had with you. They are not even in the same category."

She looked at him skeptically.

Mark shook his head. "You couldn't possibly understand."

"Try me."

"What's the point?" Mark responded. "Even if you tried, you could never see what I was saying. For you I fit into one category: Mark Sloan, manwhore. To you I am not capable of being anything else. So much so that you have rewritten history so that it fits perfectly into the little box that you want it in."

"What the hell does that mean?" Addison demanded.

"It means that all that went between us has been carefully reedited in your mind. I was the pursuer, instead of you kissing me after drinking all night. I was the one who wrecked your marriage instead of you coming to me after that night and wanting to keep it going. I was the one who cheated on you, though you called Derek's name in bed and made me feel lower than what was on the bottom of your shoe. I was the one responsible for the failed pregnancy, though it was you who made the appointment, signed the papers, and had an abortion." Mark took a sip of his scotch. "You have a very selective memory, Addison."

"That's low, even for you Mark," She said, her voice shaking.

"It's the truth. I am not afraid of the truth anymore, and I am certainly not fearful of seeing our relationship for what it was."

"And what was it?"

"A one-sided love affair," Mark said. "Nothing more. I fooled myself into believing that I loved you, and you pretended that I was Derek."

Addison shook her head. "That's not true."

"It is true," Mark said calmly, rubbing his right arm through his grey sweater. "That's why our relationship fell apart."

"Our relationship fell apart because you could not keep it in your pants," Addison said. "You couldn't even make it sixty days without—"

"Don't!" Mark snapped. "Don't you dare. For your information, I made it the full sixty days, Addison. It was you who didn't. I saw you coming out of that room with Karev; I _saw_ you! So don't you, for even a moment, presume to judge me."

Addison's mouth opened and closed but no sound came out.

"I have changed," Mark said. "Because of _her_. So don't. Just don't, okay?"

"You never broke…" Addison trailed off. "Oh, Mark," she said, her eyes getting moist. "I am so—"

"Save it," Mark said. "I don't want to hear it, okay?"

Addison leaned forward putting a hand on either side of him. "It's not over between us, surely you can feel that? It's still there, the attraction."

Mark laughed. "No, Addison, it isn't." He quickly moved out from the circle of her arms, and faced her. "I love Lexie. It isn't a fad, or something I am trying out for fun. The thought of living without her makes my chest grow tight, and when I thought I had lost her I nearly died with the pain of it all. The thought of tossing all I have with Lexie away for a trip down memory lane with you sounds like the worst idea you've ever had. I would never do that to her."

"You did it to me," Addison said quietly.

"Did I? Or did I just do something that you expected all along? Do you think that there was ever a time when I wasn't conscious of the fact that I was your second choice? I knew you didn't love me, Addie, and no matter what feelings I had for you, it wasn't enough. I couldn't make you love me." Mark then smiled, as if to himself. He looked up; his eyes warm. "But you see…it isn't like that with Lexie. She loves me without conditions, without pretexts. I don't have to pretend to be anyone else with her. She wants to be with me, even after knowing all the bad stuff that I have done. She _wants_ to have my children. She wants all that I can give her, and that is worth everything to me!"

Addison looked shaken, and Mark began to feel guilty.

"Look, it's all in the past," Mark said. "Let's just try to leave it there, okay?"

Addison nodded. "Will you excuse me? I'm just gonna…" She trailed off as she turned away and headed for the bathroom.

Mark shook his head and sat back down at the bar. The bell on the door jingled, and someone took the stool next to his.

"Hey, Stranger."

Mark turned with a smile on his face. "What are you doing here?"

Lexie grinned. "I got your message, and I thought I would join you."

"You should be resting," Mark said. "You will need your full strength for Saturday."

"Believe me, I will be fine for Saturday," Lexie said. She then inclined her head. "Where are your friends?"

Mark nodded to the back table; Lexie turned her head and saw them. "I just needed a moment," he said.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Lexie asked, putting her hand on his own.

Mark pulled her on to his left knee and locked his hands around her back. "They just see me in only a certain way, you know? Not like I…"

"Not the way you want to be seen?" Lexie guessed.

"No, sort of like that worst version of myself. The one that friends are supposed to pretend that they don't notice. That is all they see."

Lexie shook her head, smiling. "What fools they are. But I can't help but be glad that I see you so clearly."

"Why?" Mark asked, his face confused.

"Because it means that you show me something that they were never lucky enough to see. That our relationship is special."

Mark grinned. "Well, you know, I have never asked a woman to marry me before, let alone been madly in love. That is a whole lot of special, Lexie Grey."

"Will you promise to say romantic things like that to me for the rest of our lives?"

"I don't do romantic," Mark growled.

"You do with me, Mark Sloan," Lexie said.

"If you say so, Little Grey," he replied, his words filled with affection.

She glowed as she looked at him. "You are _so_ marrying me."

"Just try and stop me," Mark said with a grin before claiming her lips with his own.

At the table in the corner, Naomi turned to Derek. "That must be Lexie," she said.

"We certainly hope so," Sam added.

Derek turned and saw them at the bar. "Yep, that's Lexie."

"She's young," Sam said. "Younger than I expected."

"She's a Grey," Derek replied. "They come out of the womb grown up."

"They make a cute couple," Naomi said.

Derek smiled to himself thinking of all the time and energy he had wasted trying to keep them apart when he should have set them up from the beginning. "They are perfect for each other," Derek stated.

Sam, Naomi, and Derek turned away, feeling as if they were intruding on a private moment.

"I want to meet her," Naomi said.

In the doorway of the hallway to the bathroom, Addison Montgomery stood silently as she watched Mark kiss his fiancée. She knew without question that it was Lexie; she had seen her briefly the last time she visited Seattle Grace. As Addison watched Mark break the kiss and rest his forehead against Lexie's with a smile on his face, Addison realized fully all that she had given up.

Part of her had always wanted to love Mark, but she had never been able to trust that he could love her back. She saw now that he could. The way that he was looking at Lexie showed, beyond all doubt, that Mark Sloan was capable of deep love. His expression could only be described as pure adoration.

And he could have given that to her.

Addison knew that if she had let him, Mark would have loved her deeply. She had not believed him when he had tried to get closer to her. But this girl, this younger Grey, she had seen something in him that Addison never could.

She smiled to herself. For though she felt a deep and abiding jealousy, Addison wanted Mark to be happy at the end of the day.

He had found someone who loved him deeply, who he loved back just as much.

We should all be so lucky.

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**Please Review!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Hello readers! I hope you all enjoyed the episode last night as much as I did, though I want Slexie kissing! Anyways, as I am sure many of you have guessed, we are headed to the end of this story, there are only a few more chapters left. I will try to get them to you as soon as possible. And to Drew, sorry, I am sure I could not do Mark's *injury* justice.**

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By the time that Wednesday rolled around, the anticipation was beginning to build within Lexie. Because she was not working at the hospital, she had plenty of free time to make sure that everything was perfect, but it also caused her to be done early leaving her plenty of time to think. Which was not good. For it was in those lonely moments that her thoughts drifted to her mother.

Lexie knew that Susan Grey would have liked Mark Sloan. Deep within her belief that her mother brought them together was the idea that even if she had been living, she would have seen the good in him. The good that Lexie could see.

So as she gained excitement from each wedding related task, Lexie also felt nostalgic and sad as well. There was the dress shopping which her mother wasn't there for. The floral arrangements her mother wasn't there to nitpick. The chapel her mother wasn't there to worry about the location of. The bridesmaid dress for Molly which her mother wasn't there to call risqué. And this was all leading to the wedding which her mother wouldn't be there to see.

Each task was a double edged sword, both pleasing and painful.

It finally came to a head on Tuesday evening when she was curled up in bed with Mark. He was sleeping soundly, his breath blowing gently against her neck. The conflicting emotions seemed to hit her all at once: her sorrow at her mother's absence, the stress of her accident, and the joy she felt over marrying Mark. She had no defenses in place for this, and soon her shoulders shook in silent sobs.

It was too much. Much too much for one person to endure. She felt so alone, and it began to fill her until she felt a hand rubbing up and down her back, carefully avoiding her pink incision.

"What's wrong?" Mark whispered in the darkness. Lexie rolled over to face him, and he had to fight from gasping at the utter sadness that he saw in her eyes.

His throat clogged with emotion as he whispered, "Tell me, Lexie." It felt as if he was dying inside, but he promised himself he wouldn't react if she called off the wedding.

"I just…I miss my mother," Lexie confessed, causing Mark to blow out the breath he had been holding.

She continued, "All of the planning and the preparing have reminded me that she won't, that she _can't_, be there for me on Saturday. I thought I was over it, you know? But I…" She began to cry again.

Mark pulled her small body against his chest, kissing her hair lovingly. "I wish I could do something for you," he murmured.

Lexie shuddered in his arms, thinking through her tears how happy she was that Mark was hers. "There is nothing you can do, just hold me."

Mark continued to move his hands soothingly over her hair and down her back. He tried to think of something, of anything, to say. "When you were in the hospital, in the trauma room, I thought you were going to die," Mark said into the quiet of the bedroom. "I was standing there, feeling utterly helpless, and I had myself convinced that you were lost to me." Lexie raised her tear filled eyes to his, as he spoke in a halting voice. "You were so still Lexie, too still. And I felt certain that if you died, all that was good inside me, all that you helped me discover, would die too. The world didn't seem worth living in without you, so I wouldn't live. I would have slept and ate and breathed, but no one could have called it living. But when you came out of surgery, and you opened your eyes, all that hopelessness drifted away and I knew I still had something to live for."

Lexie's eyes gazed steadily into his, and Mark continued. "What I am saying is that you once asked me if I thought you and I being together was part of some sort of fated plan. I said no then, but I don't think that way anymore. There were moments in the ER when I felt like I was about to give up, like the billions of cells inside of me telling me that you would live were wrong. But there was something stopping me from getting to that point. Something or someone. I believe in something now Lexie, and you should too. Your mother loved you, and I know she will be with us on Saturday."

"How do you do that?" Lexie asked, her voice full of awe.

"Do what?" Mark replied.

"Always know the right thing to say?"

"I don't," Mark said. "I just say what I feel."

Lexie shook her head as much as their close proximity would allow. "How anyone could ever have doubted the depth of your feelings is beyond me."

Mark felt his cheeks heat and was grateful for the darkness.

"I'll have you," Lexie said, as if she had come to a conclusion. "On Saturday, I mean. I will have you, and that will be enough." She touched the tip of her nose to his trying to get as close to him as possible. "You are everything to me, Mark. You're the love of my life."

"And you're the love of mine."

He kissed her in the darkness and she held onto him tightly.

***

The next day, Mark and Lexie went into the hospital together. She had agreed to meet Mrs. Shepherd at the nurse's station, from where she, Meredith, and Carolyn were going to breakfast.

"Tell me again why I have to go to work when you are going to be out and about all day?"

"Out and about?" Lexie asked, quirking an eyebrow. "No one says that."

"I do," Mark replied. "I say that. Hence, me just saying that."

"Hence, now," Lexie said with a smile. "When did you get so formal? I love the way you wrap you mouth around words."

"You would be amazed at all the things I can do with my _tongue_," Mark smirked.

"And the moment is over," Lexie declared. They paused in the entryway of the hospital, and Lexie grabbed his lapels and dragged Mark to her. "Besides," she whispered suggestively, "I know all the things you do with your tongue."

"Not all of them," Mark said with a wicked grin.

Lexie smiled. "Well, you can show me after we are married. Something to look forward to."

"You will have many things to look forward to," Mark said, brushing his lips against her cheek. "I'll make sure of it."

"Is that a promise?" Lexie asked, her eyes glinting.

"Absolutely," Mark swore before claiming her mouth with a hot kiss.

"Get a room!"

Mark and Lexie broke apart to see Derek coming towards them. He had a wide grin on his face as he observed them, and Lexie returned it as a blush crept onto her face. Mark grinned in Derek's direction, but it faded from his face when he saw who was with him. Addison walked a step behind him with an inscrutable look on her face.

"God, you two are worse than Alex and Izzie," Derek said, as he came to a stop in front of them.

"Good morning, Dr. Shepherd," Lexie said. She looked inquiringly at Addison, but said nothing. She wondered why she looked so familiar.

"Mark," Addison said. "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

Mark tensed, but then he said, "Lexie this is Addison, Derek's ex-wife."

Lexie looked at him funny when he said that. Why did he phrase it so oddly? She was more than just Derek's ex-wife, and Lexie certainly knew that. "It's nice to meet you, Dr. Montgomery. I have heard a lot about you."

"Don't believe a word of it," Addison said with a smile.

Lexie smiled back. "Alright."

"I heard you two were getting married," Addison said to Lexie. "Congratulations. I am sure you will be very happy."

Mark watched Addison uneasily, but then relaxed when he heard the openness in her tone.

"Thank you," Lexie said. "That is very kind of you." She then turned to Mark. "I better go."

They kissed perfunctorily, and Lexie left with a shy smile to Addison and a nod to Derek.

"Where is she going?" Addison asked.

"To go to breakfast with Mom," Derek replied. "She is taking both Meredith and Lexie."

Addison tried to wipe her regret from her face. Most of the time she knew she had made the right decision about divorcing Derek, but sometimes, like right now, she wished she could rewind the clock to before she ever threw it away.

It used to be her, Derek, and Mark; now, they were nothing but people who used to be friends.

Funny, that.

***

When Lexie got to the nurse's station, Meredith was already there, fidgeting nervously.

"Hey," Lexie said.

"Hi," Meredith responded and then began speaking in a rush. "Are you hungry? I'm hungry. I didn't eat this morning and now I am just starving."

"Whoa," Lexie said. "Deep breaths, Meredith. You are starting to sound like me."

Meredith gave her a weak grin.

"What's wrong?" Lexie asked.

"Mama Shepherd is coming."

"Yes," Lexie said slowly. "So what?"

"So, she's _coming_!"

Lexie laughed. "What is wrong with this picture when you are being the neurotic one? I thought you and Carolyn seemed to work things out at the end of your visit?"

"We did, but you are getting married now!"

"So?"

"So what if she wants me and Derek to get married now? I don't know if I am ready for that," Meredith said.

"Why not?" Lexie asked. "You two have been dating for what seems like an eternity."

Meredith sighed. "Things were fine, but then you had to go put marriage into Mama Shepherd's mind."

"I hate to break it to you, Meredith," Lexie said with a grin, "but mothers always have marriage on the mind."

"Ugh!" Meredith groaned. "This is not going to end well."

"Meredith! Lexie!"

The sisters turned at the sound of their names being called and gave identical smiles when they saw Carolyn. She was wearing a sweat suit similar to the one she had been wearing the first time they had met her, but this one was royal blue. She hugged Meredith first, and then wrapped her arms around Lexie with a laugh.

"Oh, you don't know how happy I am that this day is here!" She said to Lexie. "I never thought I would see the day when Mark got married, and yet here it is. Derek has Meredith and Mark has you, all is right with the world," Carolyn declared.

They all laughed, and Meredith seemed to relax when she saw that Carolyn was too focused on the wedding to bother Meredith about when _she_ was going to tie the knot.

"I knew you were a good girl when I met you Lexie Grey," Carolyn said. "I am just glad that I could give Mark the encouragement to not give up."

"Wait, what?" Lexie asked.

"Well, you know," Carolyn said. "That next morning after we all had dinner together. Mark was being just like a man and ignoring his feelings, big surprise, and he was all mopey."

Lexie smiled. "And you convinced him to go after me?"

"More like made him acknowledge his feelings," Carolyn said dryly. "That man wasn't going to stay away from you no matter what my bone-headed son said."

Lexie's laugh sounded like bells to Meredith's ears. "Well, I wouldn't have been able to stay away from him either so that works out just fine."

Carolyn smiled. "You are a lovely girl." Her voice sounded both relieved and content. "Now, let's get some breakfast into the two of you before you both blow away, and Lexie, you can tell me the wedding plans." Carolyn linked her right arm through Meredith's and her left arm through Lexie's.

As they walked away chatting, Meredith couldn't help but think, _So this is what it is like to have a family_.

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**Review, please!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Yay! I am so glad that this week is over so I can finally write! Well, here it is, my final chapter of this story. An epilogue will follow tomorrow.**

**Also, I want to comment that I have so enjoyed writing this fic, as well as the reader responses. There are no fans like Slexie fans. Thank you all for your wonderful support.**

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Saturday morning dawned clearly. The anxiety that had surrounded Lexie during the week seemed to evaporate as she prepared for her wedding in the vestry of St. Michael's. Molly, Meredith, and Cristina were all in the room with her. Her sisters were helping her get ready, and Cristina was providing the commentary.

"I can't believe you are marrying McSteamy," Cristina said, drinking from her flute of champagne which she and Meredith had brought with them.

"McSteamy?" Molly repeated.

"Derek is McDreamy, Mark is McSteamy," Meredith said.

"Ok-_ay_," Molly said, dusting blush over Lexie's cheeks. "Whatever that means."

Lexie smiled. "Don't worry, you will get the Seattle Grace speak eventually."

"Whatever," Cristina said. "The point is that you have neutered McSteamy. He was all sex and hotness, and you made him all domesticity and boyfriend of the year. I do not approve."

Lexie smiled. "Don't worry, Dr. Yang. I think Dr. Hunt might be taking over as the new McSteamy of the hospital."

Cristina blanched. "Never mind, new topic."

Lexie grinned triumphantly as Molly finished with her makeup.

"There!" Her sister said. "You are all ready."

Lexie turned and saw her reflection in the mirror. She hardly recognized the woman staring back at her. Instead of simple and sweet Lexie Grey, a vision had taken her place. Her hair, which defied style, was gently curling about her face with it loosely pulled up into a topknot which her veil was secured to. Her face was glowing, and Molly had only added enough makeup to enhance her natural beauty. But it was her dress which completed the transformation. The corset bodice was cinching in her waist and the dress billowed out into a full skirt with a simple bustle in the back.

"Oh my God," Lexie murmured. "I am getting married today."

Molly stood to her sister's side as she looked in the mirror and smiled. "You're just now figuring that out?"

"It hadn't sunk in yet," Lexie replied. She then turned to all the women. "Would you mind giving me a moment?"

Christina, Molly, and Meredith left the room. Once they had, Lexie continued gazing at her reflection as the weight of what she was about to do hit her. She was committing to one man for the rest of her life, and it should have scared her. She should have been panicking, and questioning everything. But she wasn't.

Nothing had ever felt so right.

She was marrying the man of her dreams today.

***

"What if she doesn't show up?"

"Relax," Derek said with a grin, clapping Mark on the shoulder. "She will be here."

"But what if she isn't?" Mark asked anxiously.

Derek shook his head as he looked at his best friend. He had never seen him so nervous. Usually, Mark was brimming with self confidence, but not this day. As they waited in a little room to the side of the altar, Mark had begun pacing, only to stop every few minutes to ask the same question again.

"Don't worry, Mark," Derek said reveling in his friend's nerves. "If she stands you up, I have a fast car. You can go out the side door and no one will know."

"Thanks, that's helpful," Mark said sarcastically.

"Just being the best man," Derek said.

"You're a crappy best man," Mark replied.

"Bite your tongue. Did you or did you not have a good time at your bachelor party?" Derek asked.

"Beers at Joe's with you, Callie, and Hunt does not a bachelor party make," Mark replied.

"I thought it was preferable to the bachelor party you threw me," Derek said. "I figured that you would agree we were past the age of strippers."

Mark nodded, not ceasing his pacing. "As if I would ever pay to watch a woman to take her clothes off. Please," He said, his voice disdainful. "Besides, it is not as if Lexie wouldn't be totally cool with it." His sarcasm was evident.

Derek just watched him with an amused grin on his face.

"Is it hot in here?" Mark asked, tugging at his black tie. "I feel hot."

"You're not hot, you're obsessing. Stop tugging at your tie," Derek commanded, "It will pass."

"Why is this taking so long?" Mark asked. He checked his watch. "Shouldn't it have started by now?"

"These things never start on time," Derek said.

"Oh God," Mark said, suddenly stopping his pacing. He cradled his face in his palms.

Derek felt fear congeal in his stomach. He tried to find the right words, "Mark … are you sure you want to do this? I can go and tell everyone … if you like."

Mark dropped his hands and looked at his best friend in shock. "What? Are you crazy?"

Derek laughed. "Sorry, I thought you were panicking."

"I am panicking," Mark said. "I am panicking that she won't show up. I am panicking that she will get up there, take one look at me, and change her mind. I am panicking that I won't make her happy. And I am panicking that I won't be a thoughtful enough husband. But believe me Derek, no part of my panic will keep me from getting married today."

There was a knock on the door to the small room, and Carolyn Shepherd came inside. "Here are my boys," She said.

"Hi Mom," Derek smiled. "Mark is panicking."

"Over what?" She asked, her face settling into a gentle frown.

"Nothing…" Mark began.

"That he won't be a good husband," Derek replied.

"Derek!" Mark exclaimed.

Carolyn came over to her surrogate son, and smoothed his tie and brushed lint off of his coat. "As well he should be nervous. Lexie is going to be my daughter in less than an hour Mark," She said. "You will treat her right."

"Mom, he's edgy enough," Derek said.

"That's fine," Carolyn replied. "It means he is finally expecting more from himself. High expectations are not a bad thing, Mark Sloan." Her eyes met his as she conveyed her meaning.

Mark felt his eyes fill with suspicious moisture. "Thank you for being here today, Mom."

"Of course," Carolyn said. "Like any of us would miss this."

"Us?" Mark repeated. "Who's us?"

"See for yourself," Carolyn replied. "It is time to take your places anyway."

When Mark and Derek left the room, Mark felt his breath catch in his throat. The entire Shepherd family was in the church, waiting for them along with all Mark and Lexie's guests. Addison, Naomi, and Sam were there as well, sitting with Callie in the second row. Meredith and Cristina were waiting in the first with Owen sitting uncomfortably next to them.

"Come on," Derek said, as he and Mark went to take their places at the altar on one side of the minister.

Then the music began to play.

"Are you ready for this?" Derek asked.

"You don't get ready for this," Mark said with a smile playing about his face.

Molly's two-year-old daughter came down the aisle, scattering rose petals as she went and amazingly made it to the end where her dad, Eric, grabbed her and sat her down with him. She was then followed by Molly, who gave Mark a saucy wink as she took her place on the dais across from him and Derek.

Mark grinned in response. His soon-to-be sister was amazing.

Then the music changed. Pachelbel's Canon filled the air as Lexie came down the aisle on Thatcher's arm.

His breath caught in his throat, and Mark dimly realized in that moment that he had been right. You do not get ready for this.

***

Lexie felt as though she was dying and being born, all in one instant. As she walked towards Mark, the look of reverence in his eyes took her breath away. She had been born for this man, for this second. Lexie felt her father's arm tremble under her own, but she continued walking.

As she passed the faces in the church, Lexie could hardly focus on them. Her eyes were locked on the man she was about to marry. He looked so handsome in his suit, standing there, waiting for her.

When they reached the altar, Thatcher gently kissed her cheek and his eyes conveyed an apology for all that had come before this. Lexie smiled at him, happy to have her father back, even if it was just for a moment.

He gently led her to Mark, and clasped their hands together, conveying his approval. Mark helped Lexie step up, and then they turned to face each other.

Then the minister spoke.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join Lexie and Mark in Holy Matrimony."

Mark gazed steadily into Lexie's eyes, and suddenly all of his fears left him. He could do this. He was going to be a great husband, and he would make sure that, one day, he was a great father, as well.

Complying with Lexie's request, the minister began to read from Corinthians. "If I have all faith, as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; Love is not jealous or boastful, it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not delight at wrong but rejoices in the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends."

Mark looked tenderly at Lexie. These words were their vows, but they did not even need to be said. They were felt.

The minister continued on until he came to the part: "And if anyone knows why these two should not be joined let them speak now, or forever hold their peace."

Mark's eyes flicked up to the ceiling, as if to see if God would strike him down. Lexie fought off the laughter which had bubbled up inside her. Only Mark could make her laugh during her own wedding.

When the minister had no takers, he turned to Mark. "Repeat after me: I, Mark Sloan…"

Mark then followed after him. He squeezed Lexie's hands tighter and said, "I, Mark Sloan, take you, Lexie Grey, to be my wedded wife. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, for all the days of my life."

Mark then turned to Derek and took the ring from his waiting hand. "With this ring, I thee wed." He gently slid the ring onto Lexie's fourth finger.

The minister then turned to Lexie. "Repeat after me: I, Lexie Grey…"

"I, Lexie Grey, take you, Mark Sloan, to be my wedded husband. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, for all the days of my life."

After taking the ring from Molly, Lexie slid it home onto Mark's finger. "With this ring, I thee wed."

The minister began to speak again, but neither Lexie nor Mark heard him. They were married. Though the minister had not said the final words, it had never been truer.

"…by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Mark smiled down at Lexie. "Mrs. Sloan," he murmured.

"That's Dr. Sloan," Lexie whispered with a loving smile.

"You are always arguing with me," Mark said as he leaned in.

"You love me," Lexie said.

"I do," Mark said, smiling at the rightness of his words.

He kissed her then.

If there was anything else said, Mark and Lexie missed it. They simply kissed with the dull roar of applause in the background.

As he kissed his wife, Mark thought of the verse which had been read during the ceremony. _Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends_.

Yep, that sounded about right.

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**Review Please!**


	30. Epilogue

**Well, it is here: the end. I am not one hundred percent happy with this epilogue, but I suspect that it is because I do not want this story to end. I have loved writing every line, but more than that, much more than that, I have loved sharing this with you all. I have had so many wonderful responses and emails and reviews that I hardly know where to begin to thank everyone who made this possible. I want to most importantly thank Lattelady who was kind enough to beta all the medical material in this fanfic. So all those times I sounded smart? Yeah, that wasn't me, that was her. She rocks; I am so not worthy. **

**I also want to thank my regular reviewers, especially Haydee and Drew. You guys were all awesome, and I savored every review. It is funny to watch the show and see such a different story than the one I have in my head, and yet there are similarities as well. There is just something about Mark and Lexie, and I have a feeling that my writing for them is not done. Perhaps I will have more to say at a later date; I might go back and do a couple more one-shots set in or after this story. Who knows? **

**Anyway, thank you all for reading. You kept this going.**

**And for the last time... enjoy!**

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Epilogue

New York was beautiful in the springtime. Mark had always thought so, but he had never truly appreciated it until he lived across the country in Seattle. Now, being back in the city that he loved, Mark felt nostalgic for all the things that he had missed. The Met, Yankee Stadium (he was still bitter that it was gone), his favorite Italian restaurant on Fifth, and the façade of his brownstone on Seventy-fifth and Lexington.

But as he sat in the little café near his old home, Mark wondered when Manhattan had become so small. Seattle, with its encroaching forests and curving bays, never felt this small.

"Do you need change?"

Mark looked up at the cute waitress who had brought his leftovers back to the table. He smiled to himself as he thought about what a difference a two years can make. "No, the rest is for you," Mark said, handing her the check and her tip.

"Mark? Is that you, Sloan?"

Mark turned to see Devon Cartwright, a fellow surgeon who Mark had worked with in New York, standing before him.

He stood, holding out his hand. "Devon! It is good to see you!"

"What the hell are you doing here, man?" Devon said, clasping Mark on the back. "I thought you were still living in Seattle."

"I am," Mark said. "But I came back for the week. I had to take care of some things with the house, and I wanted to visit."

Devon shook his head. "So you are still stuck in Seattle, then?"

"Yep," Mark said with a smile.

"Don't you just hate it?" Devon asked.

"It grows on you," Mark replied. "In fact, I—"

"How's Shepherd?" Devon cut in. "I heard he and Addison called it quits."

"Yeah, a two and a half years ago," Mark said.

Devon smiled at him. "Too bad, huh?"

"Actually," Mark said, "Derek is very happy now. He is married to a wonderful woman, Meredith Grey. Ellis Grey's daughter, you know. And they just had a son, Nate, about nine months ago."

"Good for him," Devon said. "Shepherd did always like domesticity, didn't he? Figures he would be married a second time before you or I had our first marriage, eh Sloan?"

Mark laughed. "Actually, I got married before Derek did."

Devon looked at him in shock.

"You're kidding, right?" Devon asked.

Mark shook his head and held up his left hand. "It will be two years in four months."

Devon's face was still in surprise.

"And here she is now," Mark said, watching as Lexie came from the back of the restaurant holding their daughter in her arms.

Lexie smiled at Mark as she walked back over to their table. When she reached him, he took their daughter and settled her against his chest, and smiled at Lexie in greeting.

"Devon, this is my wife Lexie and our daughter Mia."

Lexie smiled at him as Mark told her how they had worked together when he had lived here before. "It's nice to meet you," Lexie said.

"So…how long will you be here?" Devon asked.

"We leave tomorrow," Lexie responded. "I am still a resident, so I can only take so much time off from work."

"Oh, you're a surgical resident?" Devon inquired.

"Yes," Lexie said. "I am halfway through my second year. I, of course, had to take some time off when Mia was born."

Lexie looked affectionately at her daughter who was now sleeping against Mark's chest. It seemed like just yesterday when she had found out that she was pregnant. She had been married to Mark for two months when she had started feeling funny. Lexie was too much of a doctor to not recognize the signs, and a test had quickly confirmed what she had already known. The real question then had been how to tell Mark. Lexie had wanted to make it dramatic and exciting, but in the end it had been neither of those things.

_Lexie stood in the hall as she heard the key unlocking the door. She was wringing her hands, anticipation and happiness filling her._

_"Hi," Mark said, looking at her strangely as he opened the door._

_"Hi," Lexie replied, a smiled covering half of her face._

_"What are you doing in the hallway?"_

_"Waiting for you," Lexie replied._

_A smirk had grown on Mark's face. "You should have paged me, I would have come home faster."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_Mark pulled her into his arms and kissed her._

_"Oh," Lexie had said as she pulled away. "Before we get to that, there is something I have to tell you."_

_"What?" Mark asked as he began to kiss her neck._

_"Remember how we said we were going to wait to have kids?"_

_"Yeah…"_

_"Well, that plan is kinda shot to hell now."_

_"What do you mean?" Mark asked, nipping the curve of her shoulder._

_"I mean, I'm pregnant."_

_Mark had paused mid-kiss, his lips frozen on her skin._

_"Mark?"_

_Silence._

_"Say something, please."_

_He hadn't moved at first, but then he had pressed his forehead into the curve of her neck and squeezed his arms more tightly around his wife. "Thank you," he whispered hoarsely._

_Lexie had smiled, knowing all would be well._

He had been amazing all through her pregnancy, but the really shocking part was once Mia had been born. He took to fatherhood much the way he took to surgery and marriage. Mark was a natural dad.

He turned to Lexie now, smiling as he rubbed Mia's back as she slept. "Ready for FAO Schwartz?"

"I don't know," Lexie said. "I think she is worn out. Too much stimuli. Did they call? Did they make an offer?"

"Did who make an offer?" Devon asked, jumping into their conversation.

"Just this couple who is going to buy our brownstone," Mark replied. He then turned to Lexie, "Yes, they did. And I took it."

"Good," Lexie said with a smile. Mia began to fuss then, but Mark quieted her easily with gently murmuring to her.

"I am going to go get the stroller," Lexie said.

Mark nodded to her.

As she walked away, Devon asked, "So that's it?"

Mark looked at him oddly. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you're done with New York. Seattle is where you are staying."

"Yep."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that," Mark said.

"I remember when you thought nothing existed outside of Manhattan. When you thought the rest of the country was jealous because they didn't get to live here."

"Things have changed," Mark said to his former friend. "I have changed."

Devon nodded, a small smile playing around the corners of his mouth. "Yeah, you have."

There was silence, but then Devon asked, "You don't miss it?"

Mark knew he was not talking about New York. He smiled, and kissed the top of his daughter's head. "Not even for a moment."

***

Later that night, Lexie and Mark spent their last night in his New York home. Once his nostalgia had abated, he began to feel eager to pack everything up. Mark supposed it would be natural for him to feel some regret about leaving this place for the last time, but he didn't. Perhaps it was because he had never spent much time here except for sleeping and sex, or perhaps it was because this place had never felt like a home, or perhaps it was because he was never happy here, but for whatever reason Mark was happy to leave it behind. Earlier in the day, when they had been packing the last of his belongings, Lexie had been saving much more than he had. Everything Mark came across seemed silly or rather meaningless to the way his life was now. Who really needed souvenir shot glasses with inscriptions like "Spring Break '92"? He just wanted to get home to their comfy penthouse, which was oxymoronic, he knew.

"You could have at least pretended to like the show," Lexie said, as they walked into the bedroom after having sent the babysitter home. They had just returned from seeing the sequel to _Phantom of the Opera _on Broadway.

"Why?" Mark asked, taking of his jacket and tossing it on an ugly leather chair which he did not remember ever liking.

"Because Carolyn tried hard to please us by giving us those tickets."

"At ease, soldier," Mark said. "Should Mom ask, I will tell her it was fine, despite its lurches towards the ridiculous."

"Thank you," Lexie said. "But you have bad taste. I thought it was good."

"Nothing like the original," Mark muttered as he unbuttoned his shirt.

Lexie turned around with a smile on her face. "So let me get this straight. You didn't object to the play, but rather the fact that it messed around with the original. Mark Sloan, you are a Phantom fan."

"What?" Mark said, trying to be casual. "Of course I am not. Phantom is for girls."

"Admit it," Lexie said, crossing the room to wrap her arms around his neck. "You are a musical lover."

"I'll never admit it," Mark said with a smile, looking down into his wife's face. He gently brushed her brown hair away from her cheeks. Once he would have mocked anyone who thought life with one person was something to treasure. But now he knew different. Just being with her and talking about meaningless nonsense was his favorite part of their relationship, of their marriage. It was moments like this that Mark felt so small, and his love so big. "I love you, Lexie," he whispered.

A smile curved her lips. "Do you? I never would have guessed."

"Smartass," He muttered with a smile. He ducked his head down to kiss her when he heard Mia begin to cry. "Hold that thought."

Mark padded down the hall to the gym, which had been made into a makeshift nursery for their visit.

Coming into the room, Mark saw Mia standing in her crib, her face red and wet from crying. "Hey, angel," He said, pulling her into his arms. "What's wrong?"

Mia blubbered for a bit, and then sighed contentedly as her father rocked her.

"I bet you missed us tonight, didn't you?" Mark whispered. "I missed you too. I would have much rather been here with you than at a stupid play, but I would do anything for your mommy. You'll understand someday angel, when some man is trying to win your heart." Mark silently promised himself that she wouldn't date until she was thirty. "If a man is not willing to do what you want for one evening, then you are too good for him," Mark continued. "Of course, your mommy doesn't know that I would do what she wanted every night if she asked."

Mia's eyelids fluttered closed, and Mark gently kissed her forehead, savoring her baby smell. He then said, "One day, I'll tell you the story of how your mommy made me a better man, carefully edited, of course."

He settled her back into the crib, and gently patted her back. "I love you, angel."

When he came back into the master bedroom, Lexie was lying on the bed with her eyes closed. Mark sighed, but then smiled as he watched her sleep. She still curled up on her side, tucking her hands beneath her face like a young girl. Two years of marriage and a baby had not diminished her beauty nor made her look older, not to him. Mark would swear that she was more beautiful now than she had been when he met her. Derek had said the same thing about him, which was odd...and creepy. Something about how marriage made him look years younger. Mark had made some smartass remark when he had said that.

As if she could feel him watching her, Lexie's eyes fluttered open and a small smile lit her face.

Mark felt his stomach clench in desire and anticipation for the only woman who he had never been able to get out of his heart. The only woman he had ever wanted to keep there.

"Come lie with me," she murmured.

He did just that, curling up behind her and spooning against her body.

Mark dimly remembered once considering Lexie an impossible dream, and he had been right.

She was impossible to forget, impossible to leave, and impossible to regret.

And every moment he had spent with her had been like a dream.

He supposed most people didn't get a happy ending to their fairytale, but Mark had already received his.

He had Lexie, his daughter, and the promise of many years to come.

The End

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